Son of Ares
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: All Ares ever desired was a son. An heir, a worthy warrior, one that he could call his own. More than a pawn, more than a tool, a weapon by which he might dethrone his father and claim Olympus for himself. But one god's greed is another's undoing. And this mistake just might be the end of the Gods themselves. Based loosely on the events of God of War: Ascension. NarutoxAthena!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlemen, I'm alive! I've been better given all the problems I've been going through, but I'm still breathing. Still kicking. I've been on a Mass Effect craze as of late as I'm sure you all noticed; its just my way of coping with life atm. Not only has my stupid heart failed on me again, but I've been suffering through the loss of several family members. Add to that the state of my joblessness and the school bills that keep racking up, and I'm in a bit of a tight spot at the moment. Yet here I am, fighting this damned depression, not giving into despair. To all my readers/reviewers who have encourage me in this time, I say this:**

**Thank you all for you support, and here's hoping I make it through the rough road ahead of me! *Raises glass in a toast* Long live Fanfiction! And in case my health goes south...Love ya'll! Expect an update for Bring Down the Sky to be coming soon! Remember, I own nothing! And prepare for a shocker! And of course, a fair bit of humor! But in this chapter there is a great deal of action-not to mention a shocking revelation for poor Naruto regarding the reapers, one. that may just send our favorite blond over the edge...**

**ALSO! My computer is down! BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH! I literally woke up this morning and it wouldn't work-whereas it was just FINE LAST NIGHT!? Anywho, I'm writing this from my stepdad's computer, so updates might be sporadic for a bit! Grrrrr...so angry right now! But hey, this is a nice looooong chapter, and we cover a lot of ground here! Also, I'm not going to tolerate any flames unless they're constructive criticism. So, fair warning! If you've nothing nice to say, please, don't say it.**

**Well...here ya go! =D Enjoy the humor! And we get to see some new characters this chapter! One of which I'm sure you'll recognize...AND FAIR WARNING! An awful lot happens in this chapter! ITS ANOTHER LONG ONE! The God of War bit was a new one, frankly, and I thought it interesting to try something else I haven't seen yet. If you have recently played God of War, Ascension, or beaten it like I have, then you should get the gist of the idea behind this story. That's right. Naruto isn't exactly the hero in this story. But is he the villain? Only time will tell.**

**Anywho...**

**...LOOOOONG CHAPTER AHEAD! Hope ya like it! Again! Play Ascension, people! Else you'll be hopelessly confused!**

_"War runs in your blood, boy. You must learn it. Live it. Feel it. Love it. Only then can you truly conquer."_

_~Ares (The God of War)._

**Blight**

The boy stared up into the face of a giant, squinting in the humid light of the Nile Delta. Dry lips parted, venting a fierce roar of his defiance. His dusty black armor hung around him in tatters, his right leg left bloodied and useless. Still, he stood. A hand reached up to remove the dented helmet he wore, tearing it free to expose bright blue eyes, and sandy blond hair, whiskered cheeks pursing in a furious scowl. A sword beat against shield with a sound like thunder, nearly drowning out his shout of:

_"ARES!"_

At the sound of his name, the mountain of war god swiveled eyes like bloody full moons in his direction. He sneered. Then there was movement.

Then there was pain.

Agony flared before the boy's vision like a volcanic eruption; his ears ringing hollowly as a massive fist sweapt down on him with startling speed, snatching him off the ground before he could blink. Then it squeezed. He was caught between thumb and forefinger. His breath gusted out from his lungs under the tremendous pressure of the God's fingers closing. It took almost all his effort to force his hands into the thumb and finger to keep apart that deadly vise.

Despite his own superhuman strength, he was as weak as a mewling baby when held in The God of War's grip.

Blackness stalked his senses; tiny tendrils of deadly darkness crept up on him from all sides. The effort of holding apart the God's digits sapped his strength. If he flagged for even an instant, he would be crushed like a bug, then discarded with no further thought. His arms began to lose feelling from the pressures as his strength faded. Aware that Ares had now lifted him up to eye level and peered more closely at him, he fought away ultimate blackness. A spark of anger flickered in his chest. Sapphire eyes snapped into a shade of sick, scintilating scarlet. His hands began to bleed an inky black, shadows staining his body. Somehow, he found just an inch of strength, then another. A foot. A yard. He grimaced.

"Is that...all you got?"

Ares laughed harshly and shook his head in mock sorrow. "Cheeky, boy. Perhaps I should just crush you here and now? Would you like that?"

"Try it." An angry snarl grated through his clenched teeth.

With all of his might he took that spark and _pushed. _Then he vanished into smoke.

"What?!" Ares blinked in disbelief-frowning at his empty hand as though it had somehow betrayed him-searching for the boy who had vanished from his grasp. In the next instant, he thought he saw a tiny flicker of motion on his foot; like an ant running beneath his boot. But this ant surprisd him. It grabbed him by a booted foot with both hands, reached up, and with a cry so fierce it could've reached the ears of Zeus himself, _heaved._ For the first time in an eon, the God of War experienced weightlessness.

Like a free-falling vertigo, his lungs leapt into his throat as he left the earth and shot forward; launched from his feet like an arrow from a bow. His flaming beard didn't even have the chance to rippled in the breeze; by the time he realized he'd been tossed, he was already airborne.

_And the God of War flew._

His fiery visage smashed through a recently erected pyramid as though it were made of naught but sticks, sundering the massive monument and crushing thousands of slaves. There was a ponderuous _thum _of a sound as gravity took hold, the rest of his body crashing down around him in a searing shockwave that obliterated mortals for miles in either direction. All but the one who'd flung him. He saw him too late, felt the tiny sting a second later as the boy buried his blade above a flaming brow, anchoring himself just above an eye. He hung from the blade, bloodied and battered, grinning like a madman.

"Good enough for you, _father?"_ he growled, the last word dripping with both hope and venom.

Ares snorted in rare amusement; the gale summoned from that tiny gesture dislodged his progeny and slammed him down to the desert floor with enough force to shatter the bones of a mortal man. Unfortunately, this boy possessed the blood of both God and Fury. A fall like that would do little more than stun him. He felt an emotion dangerously close to pride as he watched the boy writhe up off the ground, recovering immediately-a look of equal parts disbelief and surprise shining in those still-scarlet orbs. As expected. He was after all, a son of the God of War. Not like that failure, Orkos...

Slowly Ares stood, blotting out the sun once more. Careful to disguise the smile lurking on his lips, he forced a leer to his face and

"Again." he said.

"What?" the boy gasped out incredulously, barely able to lift his head. It'd taken everything he had and more to throw his titan-sized father.

"I said, do it again." Ares rumbled.

"But I...

The boy cringed aside from his father's words, refusing to look into his eyes. It was the penultimate sign of weakness and he knew he would probably be beaten for it, but he simply couldn't do it. To stare into that cruel face was to evoke memories of sleepless nights spent fighting and killing, the hot blood burning on his skin. Looking only made him angry and whenever he became angry, he lost himself to the dark, eldritch forces that existed inside of him; becoming little more than a beast. Because, underneath it all, that's what he was. He loved to fight. Loved and hated his father in equal measure.

Right now? Mostly hate.

"Again! Attack me!" his palm lashed out, cracking across his cheek in a painful blow, viciously slapping his slim body off the grounds and into the forest. The wind rushed painfully out of the boy's lungs when he hit the ground, his right arm breaking as he landed awkwardly upon it. He quickly rolled onto his back and sprang to his feet, squinting his eyes as the fadng sun-light drenched his face, his mind racing through this fresh pain as he struggled to think, the bone of his broken limb bending back into place as his progenitor approached his crouched form. The boy waited, staring up in silent anger as his shadows swallowed up his body. Waiting.

And then he struck.

Flames roared high in his left hand and then his right, forming twin, spiralling spheres of pure magma. With a roar, he loosed them on his father. The first was batted contemptuously aside, but the second found a mark in his progenitor's face, sending the God of War stumbling backwards. A third and fourth were quick to follow it, bringing the God down on a bended knee. But then, just when he thought he might've finally bested him, the God of War stood once more.

"Good." A faint note of satisfaction permeated his otherwise grating voice. "You're learning. Now," Behind his beard of flame, Ares felt his lip curl into a smirk as he raised a burning hand high enough to scorch the cloud layer overhead themselves. "Let your old man show you how its _really_ done." He watched his progeny tense, preparing to dodge. Wise of him. You couldn't always meet force with overwhelming force. Sometimes, you'd need to make use of your brain. And your mouth apparently, as his child was currently cursing him to the depths of Hades.

"Oh f-

Then he hurled a ball of fire larger than all the pyramids put together. He watched, bemused as the boy nimbly rolled aside-but failed to account for the splash damage of his fiery meteor. Foolish. The boy cried out as a stray gobbet of gelatinous fire ran the length of his back, raging impotently as he tried to smother it with his hands.

_Ouch._

To the boy's credit, he didn't shed a single tear before he passed out. Not a one. He simply collapsed when the pain became too much for him.

Ares waited until he was certain the boy had fallen into the bliss of unconsciousness. Then, and only then did he return to human size. His once-towering form began to shrink, his hulking armored shoulders going from the size of a mountain to a godly man once more. The God of War took a moment to consider his progeny, appraising him. He noted with some satisfaction that his fingers were still wrapped around the hilt of his blade in a death vice. Good. Although he had lost, he'd never once surrendered. He was the son of a God, after all. The softest of sigh fled his bearded lips.

"Well done, my son."

Certain that he hadn't been heard, the God of War reached down, tossed his son over a shoulder, and flickered away. He would need time to heal after today's training. Egypt-a den of heathens-was no place for that. A place of rest and healing, though he loathed and despised the very words, was needed for his boy. But that was not his realm.

Such things were best left to his aunts and mother.

* * *

><p>Tisiphone sighed, her milk-white eyes regarding her nephew with a strange mixture of pity and bemusement as she tended to him. "You're so reckless."<p>

At her side a young Orkos gawped up at his older brother. Only three years separated them, but the eldest still laughed and mussed his siblings hair with a good arm. His limb spasmed slightly from the effort, forcing a pained hiss between his teeth from where he lay on the bed.

"Are you alright, brother?" there was a quiet melancholy to the boy's words as he stared at the ugly burns marring his brother's back. "Does it hurt?"

"I'm fine." came the reply. "Ow. Alright, maybe it stings a little...

"Reckless." Tisiphone reiterated again.

"I am not." The boy protested sullenly, "I was just-ow!" He bucked furiously when she touched the wound at his back, trying to squirm away while she applied the soothing salve to his shoulders. A soothing sensation of her illusion quieted him. Good thing, too. He was strong enough to snap her neck if he ever got his hands on her when he was thrashing around. He shared their blood, so the effect wasn't incredibly potent, just enough to calm him. Greek fire took time to heal from even with regeneration such as his.

In time, he'd be granted full immunity. Resistance would come with age, both to illusion and the burning realm altogether. Oh, what a terrifying figure he would be then! But for now he was just a boy, still learning that he was strong-no, wait, that was rude of her. He wasn't like Orkos, so easily forgotten. He had a _name._

The boy's name was Naruto. No surname. Eldest son of Ares, the God of War and Alecto, Queen of the Furies.

He was only twelve years old.

He looked nothing like his father or mother, with bright blue eyes and sandy blond hair. His little brother Orkos shared more in common with them. Even his _name_ made more sense. Naruto never understood why he'd been given such an odd name. Neither did Tisiphone. Only that his parents had been hoping for a marked warrior-and by the gods-they'd gotten one. The three whiskers tripling either cheek stood in stark testament to that. He was what they'd wanted. What they'd waited for. Whatever that was, she knew it was not human.

Humans couldn't do half the things he could.

He was part God, part Fury. The blood that ran in his veins was one of madness and power, a heady mixture that might've driven others insane. Not him.

"Bah, away with you, boy!"

Megaera sniffed scornfully at her back as Orkos scurried outside, leaving their sight. "You baby him, sister. Let him heal on his own." The sound of her clawlike limbs clattering her around their citadel grated on the nerves, but the elder sister chose to ignore it. Naruto was no Orkos; he'd been blessed with the strength of a God and the power of a Fury. He deserved a moment of tenderness from someone; he likely wouldn't be getting much-if any-from his mother. Alecto was stern at even the best of times, but who knew how she'd react after what'd happened today? Ares had been thrown! _Thrown!_ For the first time!

"Ow." he hissed again, cringing as she dabbed at his cheek. Tisi laughed quietly at his discomfort and continued to apply the salve. For all his strength, he was just a child.

"Sister, enough!" Megaera barked with a quick scuttle of her claws, losing her impatience. "You're making him soft! Weak!"

"Nonsense." she huffed. "I am doing what is-

"What's this about nonsnse?"

Tisiphone stiffened slightly as a dulcet voice crooned aways ahead of her, seemingly out of nowhere. She didn't recognize the dark shape dettaching itself from the wall until it was almost too late. _Alecto._ Dark eyes cut her to ribbons as she passed by before turning on her son. She shivered. Sister though she might be, Alecto still had a way of unnerving her at the best of times. You never knew what she was truly thinking -her mood could be dark at any given moment- or bright as a ray of sunshine. Today it seemed to be neither. A pale hand reached down, mussing at his hair.

"I heard you did well today." it was not a question.

Naruto brightened under her affection. "Yes, mother."

Impossibly, that pale countenance seemed to brighten.

"Good. Continue to do so, my son. For the good of us all." A pause, a peck on the cheek. Then a twirl of her skirts and she was gone, vanishing into shadow.

Naruto took those words to heard, burying them deep inside himself. He'd made her proud. He lived to hear words like that; confirming his own self-worth.

But if there was one trait he inherited from his father, one thing that was undeniably his, it was his drive. He knew how to fight. Even at this tender young age, he could outfight most men in Greece. Strangle minotaurs with his bare hands. He remembered Father-Ares!-looking down at him with pride when he first drew blood. His blood. He'd been six. Ever since then he'd known he was destined for something. For greatness. He knew not what it was, only he was being prepared for it. Still, he felt as though he had a place here. With those who cared for him. And his little brother. The one person who truly understood him. So long as he had him

_Then everything changed._

**A/N: There we go, folks! If you have recently played God of War, Ascension, or beaten it like I have, then you should get the gist of the idea behind this story. That's right. Naruto isn't exactly the hero in this story. But is he the villain? Only time will tell. I found this a rare opportunity to see what made Ares the way he is. Where did he go bad? What made him rebel against Zeus? Was he a madman to begin with, or was there a catalyst that led to this? Of course, the Furies are here as well!**

**The idea of having a son who actually lived up to his expectations was a challenge suggested to me by a fellow author who wishes to remain anonymous -but you know who you are, girl!- and this idea was born. Kratos will still appear in this story, but not in the way it might be expected. Will Naruto step out from the shadow of his father? Will he try to destroy Olympus? Or is there a higher calling in store for him? ****Who knows where this will take us? But in God of War, the story is seldom a happy one, and tragedy is about to befall our beloved blond...**

**So...In the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview! Tragedy incoming!**

**(Preview)**

_With the last of them dead, his vision finally cleared, the blood haze leaving him. What he saw there turned that blood to icicles in his veins._

_No._

_Naruto stared down at the blood on his hands. At the body, lying at his feet. Orkos. Dead by his blades. Cut down in a bloody frenzy. No. Horror dawned on him. No. He shouldn't be here. He was supposed to be at the citadel. HE SHOULDN'T BE HERE! WHY IS HE HERE?! His mind shrieked at him-gibbering in its disbelief. After twenty years of death and destruction, one might not think the sight of another body would've bothered the Son of Ares. But this...this was his baby brother..._

_"What have I done?" his arms drooped, the Blades of Oblivion fell out of his grasp and clattered to the floor, their ebon facets still stained with the blood of the innocent. "By the Gods...what have I DONE?"_

_A heavy hand laid itself on his shoulders from out of nowhere. Ares. _

_"You're becoming everything I hoped you would be, Naruto." There was a real note of actual genuine pride there within his voice, the pride he'd longed to hear for so long. He felt hollow, hearing it now. Empty. Without meaning. "With your brother gone, nothing will hold you back. You will become DEATH ITSELF!"_

**R&R! =D**


	2. Crisis of Faith

**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlemen, I'm alive! I've been better given all the problems I've been going through, but I'm still breathing. Still kicking. I've been on a Mass Effect craze as of late as I'm sure you all noticed; its just my way of coping with life atm. Not only has my stupid heart failed on me again, but I've been suffering through the loss of several family members. Add to that the state of my joblessness and the school bills that keep racking up, and I'm in a bit of a tight spot at the moment. Yet here I am, fighting this damned depression, not giving into despair. To all my readers/reviewers who have encourage me in this time, I say this:**

**Thank you all for you support, and here's hoping I make it through the rough road ahead of me! *Raises glass in a toast* Long live Fanfiction! And in case my health goes south...Love ya'll! Expect an update for Bring Down the Sky to be coming soon! Remember, I own nothing! And prepare for a shocker! And of course, a fair bit of humor! But in this chapter there is a great deal of action-not to mention a shocking revelation for poor Naruto regarding the reapers, one. that may just send our favorite blond over the edge...**

**ALSO! My computer is down! BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH! I literally woke up this morning and it wouldn't work-whereas it was just FINE LAST NIGHT!? Anywho, I'm writing this from my stepdad's computer, so updates might be sporadic for a bit! Grrrrr...so angry right now! But hey, this is a nice looooong chapter, and we cover a lot of ground here! Also, I'm not going to tolerate any flames unless they're constructive criticism. So, fair warning! If you've nothing nice to say, please, don't say it.**

**Well...here ya go! =D Enjoy the humor! And we get to see some new characters this chapter! One of which I'm sure you'll recognize...AND FAIR WARNING! An awful lot happens in this chapter! ITS ANOTHER LONG ONE! The God of War bit was a new one, frankly, and I thought it interesting to try something else I haven't seen yet. If you have recently played God of War: Ascension, or beaten it like I have, then you should get the gist of the idea behind this story. That's right. Naruto isn't exactly the hero in this story. But is he the villain? Only time will tell.**

**Anywho...**

**...LOOOOONG CHAPTER AHEAD! Hope ya like it! Again! Play Ascension, people! Else you'll be hopelessly confused!**

_"Now I am become death. The destroyer of worlds."_

_~Naruto (Son of Ares)._

**Crisis of Faith**

Ten years passed.

An entire decades of blood and sweat and tears, swirling by in the blink of an eye. Today stood in memoriarum to all those years. It was Naruto's twenty-first birthday. Ordinarily, such a day went unmarked in the eyes of Ares and Alecto. Most of their son's time was spent training, or discovering new, more inventive ways to kill. Tisiphone would often go out of her way to give her beloved nephew a gift -such as the unbreakable boots he now wore- and Orkos almost always celebrated with him when he was able, but Megaera only ever granted him scorn.

In her eyes Naruto's kindness toward his brother made him weak and until he rid himself of this weakness, he would always be expendable in her eyes. This spite was mutual. She was often whispering that they should be rid of the younger Fury altogether-but once, when he was fifteen, she'd tried to act on it. In the dead of night she'd stolen into their room and tried to kill Orkos in his bed with a poisoned blade. Stab him to death in the sheets while he slept, and in doing so remove the weakness from her nephew. She'd very nearly succeeded. But in her haste, she'd made one mistake.

Instead of stabbing Orkos, he had felt the sting of her blade.

In retaliation for her gross misconducts and for trying to kill his brother, he'd cut off her arm. For her treachery, she should have been imprisoned. But the loss of a limb had been deemed humiliating enough by Alecto, and so the now impoten Fury had been allowed to stay. And her hatred festered like an open wound. Even now he could feel her leering at him from across the room-smoldering darkly in her fury. But none of that hate could bring him down. Not today.

Because today, his birthday was being held on _Mount Olympus._

Naruto was still debating whether he should just throw himself off the mountain and spare them the trouble.

He was given a gift provided to few mortals, allowed to walk in the prescence of the very gods themselves. Ironic, given that his father planned to use him to slaughter some of them. There was Hermes out by the east garden conversing with Apollo. Near the dais, he could feel the baleful eyes of Poseidon and Helios boring into his back. So many eyes on him, all watching-assessing-judging. Weighing his worth. Naruto despised it. He was not some piece of meat to salivate over, not some steer to be ogled at.

_"Ah, and here is the guest of honor."_

And then there were those he-tentatively-called allies.

As if the thought of his uncle spawned him, Hades seemed to appear from nowhere, filling the marble corridor to his left, fiery chains snapping like whips in each hand. He wore his war helmet so that only his eyes were visible, those red-coal eyes that promised eternal torment for any who offended him. In place of ordinary armor his flesh sprouted spikes of black iron and he seemed to leave a trail of sooty footprints in his wake. More than his dark visage, Naruto felt a sublte prescence of dread emanating from the Lord of the Underworld.

There was a blackness to the very air that corrupted anything it touched. That would corrupt him, if he wasn't careful. Echoing that thought, a ruddy hand clapped him on the shoulder. The demigod willed himself not to choke on the sulfurous breath that poured forth from his mouth.

_"Do you like the weapons I've fashioned for you?" _he asked expectantly. _"You wear them well."_ He sounded much like any doting uncle might; his voice standing in stark contrast with his sinister appearance. He'd never met Hades before this moment, and for a long moment, he didn't know what to think of him. By the account of Ares, Hades was not someone you wanted to cross. And he wanted an answer.

Naruto peered down once more at his gift, staring at his inheritance; the large ebon swords, with their chains wrapped to his arms. A thought and they were gone, the chains sliding off his arms to pool noisily on the floor at his feet. Another thought snapped them back into place. He removed them sometimes in a fashion such as this just to remind himself that they _weren't_ seared into the flesh-the very marrow-of his arms. _The Blades of Oblivion._ Similair to those of Chaos but infinitely more powerful, these drew from his very life force to empower their strikes. They were as much Hades endorsement of him as they were Ares. He cared only that they served their purpose.

"They suit my needs." the hybrid replied at last.

_"Well said!"_ Hades croaked out a laugh. _"It pleases me to know that _someone_ appreciates my gifts."_ he sniffed at the last, casting a withering glare towards his brother Zeus. Naruto could only see the Sky Father's back from here, but he was suddenly grateful that the King of the Gods was not focused on him. He didn't think he was ready for that confrontation yet, even with all of Ares's goading. Matching his father in combat was one thing, but taking down Zeus was an utter impossibility in his mind. He'd need stealth and surprise if he ever hoped to win the day-a direct confrontation was suicide.

_"Now then, I suppose I should be off. Poseidon calls me."_

Before Naruto knew it the Lord of the Underworld was gone, stomping back to Lord of the Sear near the dais. For a sweet, blessed moment, he was alone. Just a moment. Naruto shook his head quietly, trying to drive a chill from his bones. Whether he meant welll or not, the God of the Underworld genuinely terrified him. But it was more than Hades, his prescence. It was the airs put on by Olympus itself. Alll those thinly veiled glances and gestures, their quiet words-subtly veiled threats-to one another.

Endless politicking.

This wasn't him. He didn't belong here, with these honeyed words and sheathed-dagger stares. There were few friendly faces with which he might converse. He wished Tisiphone or even his mother had accepted Zeus's invitation. But no, this was on theater of war in which he was forced to stand alone, unarmored and barely armed. The Blades of Oblivion were of little use to him here in a verbal realm, his tongue was a weapon he was still learning to master. Indeed, such a task was better suited to-

"You look troubled, brother."

Naruto rounded on the voice with a grin, recognizing it amidst the sursurus of voices even as he spun.

_"Orkos!" _

As one the siblings embraced, Naruto still turning, delighted to find that his brother had come to Olympus.

He drew away with a laugh that could've put the boisterous Dionysus to shame. "By the Gods! What're you doing here?"

A wan smile colored the younger brother's visage as they separated. "Celebrations were never your forte. Naruto. I thought I'd see how you were faring."

"Better now that I have someone to share in my misery." Naruto laughed, clapping his brother on the shoulder. "Hey, at least I won't have to suffer alone now, eh?"

"Yes, because the prospect of suffering with you is _so_ enticing...

The blond leered merrily. "And that Oracle of yours isn't?"

Now it was Orkos's turn to color. "That was a low blow."

Naruto cackled. "Ah, but all is fair in love and war!"

All these years had done little to quell the bond between the brothers; were one to look at them, they might never know that these two shared the same blood. While Orkos was slim and frail-looking like his mother, he was almost pure Fury in the realm of appearance; his dark ebon hair cut to a close trim at his neck, his. Naruto, however, with adolescence, was finally beginning to take after the God of War. The blood of Ares, always burning just beneath the skin, had finally started to manifest itself in the phyiscal realm.

The last decade had hardened him in more ways than one; the once tiny boy now stood at a towering six feet tall, nearly eclipsing some of the gods in their human forms. His body rippled with muscle beneath theat red tunic he wore, slender, yet strong. There just a touch of red in his otherwise blond hair and his eyes gleamed ruby scarlet more often than they did sapphire as he walked amongst the Gods and Goddesses. Were any to have seen him as a child they wouldn't been hard pressed to recognize this young man.

What's more, he'd recently come into the gifts of his mother over the last year, a madness of the Furies he utilized ruthlessly against any foe who dared to stand in his way. His powers and combat prowess made for a potent ally, and a dangerous enemey. The Gods had taken noticed of Ares's son. Perhaps that was why Zeus had insisted that his coming-of-age ceremony be held here rather than on the citadel of the Furies. Perhaps, on some instinctual level, the Sky Father realized the boy was becoming a threat to the gods themselves. As if to echo that very thought, Ares raised his goblet in toast.

"To my son!" The God of War thundered, his gravelly voice rolling across the room like a slow moving avalance of blades as he held the golden cup towards his eldest son. "Long may he prosper upon the field of battle and glory!"

The entire room roared in approval. Naruto grinned, soaking up the praise. "Hell of a thing, isn't it? He's been trying to kill me for the longest time; now he's proud of me. Weird." Behind him, he failed to notice Orkos's pensive expression, the anxiety stitching itself into the younger Fury's face.

"Naruto...we must speak."

Naruto frowned at the sudden turn of phrase, but nevertheless, didn't ressit as his sibling pulled him aside. Drawn behind a marble column, he found himself staring into those intense, amber eyes. There was an anger to them, one he hadn't seen before.

"Brother, you must rethink this madness." his silbing sounded desperate. Pained.

"And what madness might that be?" Naruto humored him with a smile. It was only when his little brother persisted that he realized the futility of such an effort. A knot coiled inside his stomach, drawing more and more tight with each passing second. Orkos hadn't come here just to celebrate with him. His purpose was far more complex. "What are you talking about?"

"You know full well of what I speak!" He drew closer stills, his breath little more than a whisper. "You seek to destroy a God! Our own uncle, no less! Are you insane?!" Ah. Zeus. That was where the truth lay. Orkos had never expressed an opinion on the matter beforehand, so he'd dismissd it. He hadn't realized his baby brother had been seething against their plots all along. The Oathkeeper was glaring at him now, the fire of defiance roaring high in his young eyes. "Don't do this, Naruto I know you. You're not a murderer. You don't kill without purpose."

"This is my purpose. I'm doing the world a service." was that the truth? Or did he truly believe the lie?

"Then our father has filled your minds with falsehoods!" Orkos quickly drew inward, lowering his voice. "Don't you understand? Zeus _is _Olympus! Killing him will do nothing more than destroy the very world in which we live."

"Unless someone replaces him." Naruto countered, but there was no conviction in his voice.

The Fury simply gave him a knowing, irritating frown. "You only fool yourself. Even if what you say is true, Ares will never share power with you. You may be his favored son, but believe me when I say you're little more than a pawn in his plans. Once he's finished with you you'll be thrown aside-

Rage flooded Naruto in a searing wave; what happened next would forever haunt him for the rest of his days. Orkos knew he'd said the wrong thing-chosen the one word that enraged his brother beyond measure. That word was his secret fear, the one thing he dreaded being above all else. It was like flicking a switch. Strong hands shot forward-gripped his brother by the throat. Hoisting him off his feet. He gagged. Naruto didn't hear him; the sound was drowned out by the feral hiss that fled from his lips.

_"I am no one's pawn!"_

He threw Orkos down with those words, not bothering to apologize for his sudden fury, uncaring as he scrambled back to his feet, clutching at his neck. Naruto swept away from him with wordless cry of despair and ire and sorrow. He'd struck his own brother. Harmed him. Disgust filled him. He staggered forward and back into sight, instinctly straightening his stride as new eyes followed him. He nearly crashed headlong into Artemis, muttering an apology as he swerved around the huntress. She shot him a disgusted glare as he pushed past.

A hand brushed his shoulder. He bristled.

"Orkos, I am not in the mood-

"Why so tense, handsome?" came the soft, sensual reply, as gentle and inviting as a lover's caress. "What could be more entertaining...than this?" Not Orkos. Naruto blinked, alarmed to find his brother was not the one who had spoken to him just now. Indeed, Orkos was nowhere to be found.

Naruto turned, and a new Goddess emerged from within his peripheals, warming the room with her beauty. Indeed, all of Olympus took on a softer, more sultry glow. Naruto felt his jaw clench. He'd seen few women in his life beyond that of his mother and aunts, but, even if he had seen _many_ this woman would've put them to shame and flung them into the muck with but a glance. Her splendor was of such full-bodied perfection that this sight hit him harder than any foe ever had, even his father. He had to clear his throat twice before he could speak. He knew at once who she was, and fought not to glance at the diaphanous house silks that clung invitingly to her body.

_Definitetly not Orkos!_

"Lady Aphrodite." he managed to swallow, his head bowing in a curt nod. Ares had once bragged drunkenly of how he had taken the Goddess of Love in her own bed. Back then he hadn't thought such a beautiful being could existt. Evidently, he'd been wrong. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Looking at her now, Naruto could see what must've attracted his father all those decades before.

"Hmm," she cooed, and for a moment, those dark eyes seemed to devour him. "The pleasure is all mine." The demigod stiffened. He knew that tone.

"I've no interest in such things."

She purred, moving to block him when he stepped away. "So fierce. Just like your father. You have that same fire in your eyes."

Naruto tried to shake her off.

"I need to-

One slender finger from that slim hand traced the curve of his lips to silence any comment. Her laughter was like the chime of silver bells. "What you need, is to be grateful, mortal. Tis not often that Zeus throws such a wantaon celebration." She caressed his cheek gently. "Even for the Son of Ares." The fingers turned cold as they stroked lower, ghosting across his muscles beneath the tunic. For a moment-a flicker-Naruto wavered. It would be so easy to lose himself in the pleasures of the flesh, to simply lose himself in the darker half of his being. But the hatred for what he'd done expunged that emotion before it could get the better of him.

It blesed-cursed-him with bitter sanity.

"Get away from me, woman." he slapped her hand down and aside with all the contempt he could muster. "When I desire your company, I will inform you."

Aphrodite's cheeks, already red, gained a deeper shade that seemed almost violent. It looked like she had popped a blood vessel in her face or something. Clearly she was unaccustomed to being rebuffed. He was likely the first to ever refused her. He shook himself free, successfully this time. When he dared to look again the Goddess was gone, vanishing once more into the throng of gods and servants alike. Naruto wondered whether he'd made a mistake in refuting her offer. He might've found some semblance of peace in her arms-

"My," a new voice chimed. "That was impressive."

_Not again!_

Grimacing at thought of further conversation, he rised a glance backwards. Today, Naruto stood his ground-though he did gawp. He was looking at a familair face. Her sepia-tattooed lips parted, but she did not speak. Not immediately. Those intricate swirling designs on her face seemed to take on a life of their own, as if the tattoos might possess her somehow. It took a physical effort to wrench his gaze away from her and focus on her face, peer into her eerie hazel eyes. The delicate golden bands of her head decoration caught sunlight and made her look even more god-like. Her beauty, though not so sensual as Aphrodite's swayed him.

She wore battle armor, not as a fashion statement like so many might, but because she was a warrior. How did he know that? The bronze-and-leather panoply oddly suited her, he thought. Why did he think that? She looked up at him with a curious mixture of surprise and bemusement, and last, just when he thought he could take the silence no more, she spoke:

"Hello, Naruto."

He paid a quiet, deferential nod to Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom. "We meet at last."

Naruto nodded again. For all the reverence in which he held his father, Athena, was the one he most often prayed to. Brutality was all well and good, but without wisdom, a warrior was little more than a brute with a sword in his hand. Was it just his imagination, or did he see her tattooed lips curl in a smile? Across the chamber he could _feel _Ares's scowl. If there was one area in which father an son were truly at odds with it was who should live, and who ought to die. Ares hated Athena with a burning passion; a fury that'd made Naruto curious at a young age. He'd wondered why his father despised her. And from that curiosity had stemmed an innate fascination with Athena herself. Eventually, he began praying to her, dedicating deeds such as the slaying of the Hydra to the Goddess.

This was his first time meeting her face to face. He wasn't quite sure what her relation was to him in the whole line of succession, though. Being half god and half fury tended to muddy the waters a bit.

"What do you think of Olympus?" she asked at last.

"Rich." he grimaced truthfully, glancing around with a pained expression. "Too rich for my tastes."

Athena smiled.

"Your father has influenced you in that, I see."

Naruto shrugged, rolling his shoulders. That much was true, Ares seldom visited Olympus anymore. "I suppose."

Whatever else she might've said was drowned out by Hermes cry:

"Gods and Goddesses, it is time for the ceremony to begin! Hail the mighty Zeus!" Athena's gaze snapped toward the sound, and with a quick glance back at him, she approached the dais.

Hermes bowed low and stepped aside like a good servant as his master stood. Naruto cocked his head aside, momentariy drawn from his own self-loathing by the sounds of adulation. The applause grew from the crowd as Zeus stepped forward, grinning beneath his long, silvery beard and raising one of his muscular arms in greeting. Naruto did not despise Zeus, nay, this was the very first time he'd ever laid eyes on his uncle. But this impression wasn't a lasteing one. His arms remained folded across his chest in defiance and as testament to his foul mood. After a moment, the thunder god's hand flattened toward the crowd for silence.

"My fellow Olympians."

His deep voice boomed throughout the chamber as he spoke, commanding even Naruto's attention.

"Today is a momentous occassion for us all," he began those eerie white eyes sweeping out across the assembled beings and deities. "Today my beloved son brings before us his eldest. He presents us with his firstborn, so that we might bestow our blessings upon him. Slayer of the Hydra! Conqueror of Egypt! Butcherer of the Nemean Lion! Let us drink to his success this day!"

The old man paused for effect, receiving several nods, shouts, and claps of approval. Naruto preened quietly and took a glass of wine offered to him by Dionysus. He was painfully aware of Ares watching him, expecting him to act as a warrior might. Zeus was not meant to die today. He was here to ingratiate himself with the gods; a knife unseen often met its mark without fail. He noticed that Hades had not reappeared since speaking with his brother, Poseidon. Likewise, the God of the Sea was nowhere to be seen. He took another sip of wine to settle his unasy stomach as Zeus continued, helped somewhat by the somber tone he'd now adopted, his visage lowering, eyes roaming, until he picked Naruto out amidst the crown.

"Step forward, my son."

Naruto's eyes snapped to Athena in search of answers, even as his feet turned to stone.

She had adopted a look of carefully blank indifference on her face as her father droned onwards. He took a moment to once again study her features. She held her hands down over her stomach, pulling her robe tightly against her and outlining her womanly assets. Beautiful indeed. His eyes once again traveled up to her face, noting her smooth, pale, perfect skin; as if it were carved from white marble. Naruto watched her eyes move over the crowd, slowly closing in on him. After a moment their eyes met, and he was stunned. He was drawn into the deep pools of emerald green as a small proud smile grew across Athena's lips. He managed to blink, realizing how intently he had been staring, returning the wine glass to his lips and his attentions to Zeus as he continued.

"Come now, don't be shy."

The Son of Ares could feel his father radiating approval; this was precisely what he wanted. A few whispers went out among the crowds, and several people looked back toward him as he leered at them over another sip from his wine glass. He bolstered his anxiety with still more wine.

"May the rise of this mortal bring us together, to right our wrongs and begin a new chapter in our reign over this world. Step forward, my boy!" Reluctantly, the blond complied.

One of Zeus' great arms extended toward Naruto, and with it all the eyes of Olympus.

The God's hand on his shoulder brought Naruto back from his fantasy, and returned him to his senses. He looked out over the gathered Olympians plainly, and then to Zeus, who had a fair smile upon his strong face.

"_Well, lad? May we count on you?"_

* * *

><p><em>(An unspecified amount of time later...)<em>

"Gah!"

Naruto snapped out of the memory with a gasp. Because it had been just that. A memory. He came back to himself with reluctance, shaking his mind back to the present. Where was he? When was he? His stomach felt as though it had been ripped out of his mouth and turned inside out before being thrust back inside of him. All around him, a village burned. Out of the corner of his eye, he beheld a statue of Poseidon, lying in ruins on his right, its face ravaged and sundered. To the left, a carving of Aphrodite, her face smashed almost beyond recognition. It all crept back to him in agonizing slowness. The celebration in Olympus. His father taking him down off the mount, giving him another task.

Crete.

He'd been sent to the island of Crete. To fight. Kill. Maim. Murder. He barely remembered the task. Eradicate some foreign worshippers or somesuch. Turn back, Fist of Ares. the Priestess had warned him as he stood at the door to her temple. You are not ready for what lies within. He'd slit her throat. Then he'd stormed inside and...and...and...

All around him and within the shrine, men and women lay dead or dying. Some of them were children. He stared down at them, aghast. There was no honor in this. He'd been told to fight warriors. Yet there was not so much as a single soldier around him. This made no sense. They were not heretics, the sundered shrine of Aphrodite in which he stood was a stark testament to that. What was going on? What'd happened? Why-

He remembered now.

"Why didn't you listen to me?!"

His body moved on instinct as a shadow moved in the flickering flames of the shrine, weapon drawn. Had he hesitated, he might've noticed the slight limp, or the way the man favored his right arm. But he did not stay his hand, and in that instant, he lost everything.

The Blades of Oblivion were flung like a deadly whip; their chained forms arcing foward without fail. Flawless edges bit deep into his adversary. The man cried out, his life fluids spattering into Naruto's eyes. Blinded, he howled as it stung at his eyes, searing into his retinas for a hearstopping intstant. His burned eyes began to heal almost immediately, but the pain remained. With the last of the blood gone his vision finally cleared, the haze leaving him. What he saw there, sprawled turned that blood to icicles in his veins.

No.

Naruto stared down at the blood on his hands. At the body, lying at his feet. Orkos. Dead by his blades. Cut down in a bloody frenzy. No. Horror dawned on him. No. He shouldn't be here. He was supposed to be at the citadel. _HE SHOULDN'T BE HERE! WHY IS HE HERE?!_ His mind shrieked at him-gibbering in its disbelief. After twenty years of death and destruction, one might not think the sight of another body would've bothered the Son of Ares. But this...this was his baby brother...the very same that he'd argued against and struck only a few hours ago.

Dead at his hand.

"What have I done?" his arms drooped, the Blades of Oblivion fell out of his grasp and clattered to the floor, their ebon facets still stained with the blood of the innocent. "By the Gods...what have I _DONE?" _As if to bring light to that very thought, a thunderclap crackled in his ears.

A heavy hand laid itself on his shoulders from out of nowhere. Ares.

"You're becoming everything I hoped you would be, Naruto." There was a real note of actual genuine pride there within his voice, the pride he'd longed to hear for so long. He felt hollow, hearing it now. Empty. Without meaning. "With your brother gone, nothing will hold you back. You will become DEATH ITSELF!" Naruto barely heard his father; his attention lay firmly elsewhere, fixated upon the prone form lying at his feet. He turned to curse his father but the God was already gone, vanishing once more to Olympus. Leaving him to stare at his crime.

A terrible, worldess keening sound fled from the man's throat. He sank to his knees and buried his head in his hands; he didn't recognize it as a sob until the tears started flowing. Somewhere in the back of his mind he heard the dead priestess laughing at him; cursing him. That shouldn't be possible. She was dead. He'd killed her.

"Kinslayer." She hissed. Her smooth silken voice mocked him, spiting him even as he raised his blade and swept toward her corpse. "For your crimes here today you will bear your brother's black blood on your skin, the mark of your sin known to all-

"SILENCE!"

His blade flashed out, severing her head too late. The deed was done.

Before his very eyes his arms began to darken, a seeping, ebon color creeping across his body. His fingers stained the color of shadow. Naruto couldn't find the words. Orkos lay dead, his ravaged corpse rapidly cooling even as the lifeblood drained out of it yet he couldn't bring himself to feel anything but an aching numbness. He caught a glimpse of himself in a shattered pane of glass and what he saw there made him sick. It was as if his very heart had been carved out, replaced by this dark man with blazing blue eyes. He couldn't even scream. The black wraith that he'd become simply sat there, shuddering softly, his shoulders quivering. On that day, the Son of Ares lost his mind.

_On that day, an oath was broken._

**A/N: What happened?! There we go, folks! If you have recently played God of War, Ascension, or beaten it like I have, then you should get the gist of the idea behind this story. That's right. Naruto isn't exactly the hero in this story. But is he the villain? Only time will tell. I found this a rare opportunity to see what made Ares the way he is. Where did he go bad? What made him rebel against Zeus? Was he a madman to begin with, or was there a catalyst that led to this? Of course, the Furies are here as well!**

**The idea of having a son who actually lived up to his expectations was a challenge suggested to me by a fellow author who wishes to remain anonymous -but you know who you are, girl!- and this idea was born. Kratos will still appear in this story, but not in the way it might be expected. Will Naruto step out from the shadow of his father? Will he try to destroy Olympus? Or is there a higher calling in store for him? ****Who knows where this will take us? But in God of War, the story is seldom a happy one, and tragedy is about to befall our beloved blond...**

**So...In the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview! Death incoming! But who will deal the final blow?**

**(Preview)**

_"I was just trying to make you a better warrior!"_

_The marked man scowled down at the God of War, his face twisting in cold, quiet fury. Ares had always been a part of his life, a towering spectre that shadowed his very existence. His machinations had robbed him of a decent life, of love, of family, of everything. And now, here at the last, he had fallen. His face bloodied and broken, body bent down on bended knee, the God of War was begging for his very life. The marked warrior felt the tiniest stirring of pity in his chest. Perhaps Ares wasn't the true villlain in this after all. Perhaps his intentions had been noble in the beginning, only to be lost somehwere along the way. But he'd taken everything he had ever loved. _

_Now it was time to pay the price._

_He permitted himself that lone moment of empathy. Then those dark, pitliess orbs snapped open._

_"You succeeded."_

_His blade flashed out mercilessly._

**R&R! =D**


	3. God of War

**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlemen, I'm alive! I've been better given all the problems I've been going through, but I'm still breathing. Still kicking. I've been on a Mass Effect craze as of late as I'm sure you all noticed; its just my way of coping with life atm. Not only has my stupid heart failed on me again, but I've been suffering through the loss of several family members. Add to that the state of my joblessness and the school bills that keep racking up, and I'm in a bit of a tight spot at the moment. Yet here I am, fighting this damned depression, not giving into despair. To all my readers/reviewers who have encourage me in this time, I say this:**

**Thank you all for you support, and here's hoping I make it through the rough road ahead of me! *Raises glass in a toast* Long live Fanfiction! And in case my health goes south...Love ya'll! Expect an update for Bring Down the Sky to be coming soon! Remember, I own nothing! And prepare for a shocker! And of course, a fair bit of humor! But in this chapter there is a great deal of action-not to mention a shocking revelation for poor Naruto regarding the reapers, one. that may just send our favorite blond over the edge...**

**ALSO! My computer is down! BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH! I literally woke up this morning and it wouldn't work-whereas it was just FINE LAST NIGHT!? Anywho, I'm writing this from my stepdad's computer, so updates might be sporadic for a bit! Grrrrr...so angry right now! But hey, this is a nice looooong chapter, and we cover a lot of ground here! Also, I'm not going to tolerate any flames unless they're constructive criticism. So, fair warning! If you've nothing nice to say, please, don't say it.**

**Well...here ya go! =D Enjoy the humor! And we get to see some new characters this chapter! One of which I'm sure you'll recognize...AND FAIR WARNING! An awful lot happens in this chapter! ITS ANOTHER LONG ONE! The God of War bit was a new one, frankly, and I thought it interesting to try something else I haven't seen yet. If you have recently played God of War: Ascension, or beaten it like I have, then you should get the gist of the idea behind this story. That's right. Naruto isn't exactly the hero in this story. But is he the villain? Only time will tell.**

**Anywho...**

**...LOOOOONG CHAPTER AHEAD! Hope ya like it! Again! Play Ascension, people! Else you'll be hopelessly confused! Remember, Ares mentored Naruto first. Kratos came second. So the timeline is a bit diluted in terms of Kratos and Naruto. No Orkos, no Oathkeeper. Meaning Kratos has full control of his faculties, and he knows the horrors of what he did. An' he feels bloody awful. And we see a LOT of death in this chaper! I worked long and hard on it! And remember, I own nothing but the idea here folks! Naruto and God of War belong to their respective owners!**

** Hope you enjoy!**

_"I was only trying to make you a better warrior!"_

_~Ares (Shortly before his death)._

**God of War**

For the longest time after that, madness consumed me.

Every waking moment the same scene played out before me. Blinded by rage and fury, my blades carving a path through Aphrodite's temple, slaying all in my path. Screams. The lifeless eyes of my little brother staring up at me in silend condemnation. I closed my eyes and I saw his face. Sleep offered no escape, the visions persisted even in slumber. Food had no taste. The numbing stupor of drink promised no salvation for the cruel images branded in my brain. The pleasures of the flesh -which I partook of most gratuitously after my brother's death- soon became hollow and cold.

My hands had bathed in the blood of countless lives, many of them innocent, but it was the death of my brother that broke me. I felt wretched. I was no warrior. I didn't even deserve the weapons chained to my wrists anymore, not by any means. That day I broke from Ares. Severed all contact. I had few enemies then, but my Father-the one responsible for molding me into this monster, this animal that I'd become-stood squarely at the top of that list now. I even resembled him.

I didn't know he'd found himself another pawn; a spartan named Kratos. I didn't care. Didn't notice how like me he was; his ambition knew nearly no bounds. He was going to lose everything. Just like me. Sure enough he did. Eventually he fell into the same trap as I had, unknowingly killing his wife and child in a temple of Athena, much as I'd done with Orkos in the realm of Aphrodite. For all his claimed strategy my fathered seemed to relish using the same strategems over and over again. Didn't want to notice. For the next ten years revenge filled my every waking moment. Possibly his as well.

Athena proved my saving grace. She said Zeus held no ill will against me for my part in Are's plot. She promised me forgiveness from my sins. She understood, or at least, I wanted to think that she did. She swore that she would remove the stain of my brother's blood from my body. To erase this insanity. It was all the hope I needed. False or not, I didn't know. It gave me purpose. Drive.

I didn't need Pandora's Box. I was the Son of Ares. I had all the searing fury of the God of War wrapped up inside of me, and the madness of the Furies. I had a goal, and I swore that I would see it complete, no matter the cost.

Nowhere was I in my right mind when I went after him-I just wanted revenge. Justice. Retribution. I knew he was responsible for placing Orkos there the day I killed him. To this day, I don't know how. I just knew. But when I stormed into the citadel of the Furies, into my home, he was nowhere to be found at first. I raged furiously. The...coward! Perhaps he knew I was a true_-genuine!-_actual threat to him now-that if we were ever to confront one another one of us wouldn't be walking away ever again. One of us would die. But I reasoned my mother and aunts would be able to tell me where he was. And if they didn't, they'd go to Hades for planning to dispose of my brother.

That was the day I first laid eyes upon the Ghost of Sparta. Trapped in the prison of the damned like so many others before him. I saw him there, chained and broken. Someone who'd suffered just as I had maybe even more. I saw myself. Somewhere in the pit of my shriveled heart, I took pity on him.

Then _they_ made the mistake of trying to stop me that night...

* * *

><p><em>Calliope...<em>

"Snap out of it, man!"

Kratos jerked painfully as a large hand cracked across his vision and slammed into his visage from seemingly out of nowhere, jerking him out of memory and illusion. He awoke to find himself in chains, his body bound, the Blades of Chaos tethered to posts at either side, leaving his arms stretched as lay buckled onto his knes. He nearly despaired as reality rose around him. No, no, no, he didn't want to be here, back in the present-a man who'd murdered his wife and child. The illusions of the Furies were better, at least they promised him some semblance of solace...

But the voice seemed determined to deny him his sanctuary. Another blow rocked his vision. Had he still been bound by an Oath to Ares, he might've not noticed it. But no, he was painfully aware of evey nuance, filling his face with the pain of a swollen lip. He tried to blot it out, tried to focus once more on the blessed illusions. All h felt was pain.

"So help me Kratos, if you do not wake up this instant I will _gut_ you!"

That voice! It sounded just like...

_"Ares!"_

Fury flooded his vision, the madness bubbling up at the mere mention of the God of War and shattering the false peace. It sounded like him, and yet not him. But it had to be! The God of the War had come to mock his failure yet again, to laugh at him...to...to...

"No, not Ares." the stranger replied, still unseen through the murk. "Though there is a bit of a resemblance. Now. Wake. Up!"

A hand rocked his head back, fingers pressing into his face. Faced with the pain of having his eyes potentially gouged out, the former general came back to himself with a gasp...

...and found himself looking at a monster in the torchlight.

If he was the Ghost of Sparta, than this man was a _wraith._ His skin was black as midnighnight, his harsh blue-red eyes glittering like wrathful diamons in the back of his skull. A crop of shaggy, flaming red hair hung over his head like a mane, and poured down his back in a wave of spikey needles all of it contrasting sharply with the silver tunic andd armor he wore. It was like...loking at a young Ares. But this one was covered in blood. And there wrapped around his arms, a pair of blades. So much like those he wielded, yet more-an amalgamation of death and despair and destruction all forged into cold, ruthless steel.

"About time." the man grunted, reaching around to free him from the choker that bound him to the central dais. "I was beginning to think you'd never recover." Together he helped him tug free of the rest, reaching up to shatter the shackles that bound the Blades of Chaos away from him. Kratos drew his once-favored weapons to him, and fought a cringe. These had taken the lives of his family. Just looking at them filled him with an anger so intense it made his very bones quiver with contempt for the God of War. But above that contempt came another emotion. Curiosity.

"Who...?"

"A friend." came the answer into the night. He stepped away, those dark hands ghosting over his own weapons. "Someone who hates the God of War and wants him dead." This close he could see that the stranger truly did share an eerie resemblance with the God of War. But there was an anger in those eyes, one that wasn't directed at the world, but inward. Here was a man who had suffered greatly under the God of War, who lived with the pain of what he'd done. He had no way of knowing, but he was looking at the Son of Ares.

"Don't dissapoint me, Spartan."

That was all he had time to hear before a mottled green blur straked out of the darkness, slammed into the wraith, and sent him sprawling off the dais.

_"You will not leave this place alive, traitor!"_

* * *

><p>Megaera was furious with me.<p>

So was I.

Deep down, I'd always hated her. She'd been a thorough bitch to me since the day of my birth, not trusting a half-breed as she so contemptuously put it, to complete the task set before him. Taking her arm had soured things between us even further. Perhaps my betrayal had vindicated her in the begining but now? Now there was fear in those bright green eyes as we fought. Her skills had slackened in the decade since I'd last laid an eye on her, she relied more upon her possession beetles and minions to slow me than her combat skills.

The Hecatonchires raged around us, its many arms grasping, groping, trying to dislodge me as we fought. But I knew this prison like the back of my hand. There was no advantage they could turn against me that I had not already seen, could not counter. Her hate meant nothing in the face of my vengeance. It didn't matter that she was family. She was just another body on my blades.

She died like a pig.

* * *

><p>Demigod and Fury raged across the citadel in a flurry of blood and steel. Nephew against aunt, blood against blood, the latter incessantly attacking, the former moving in a steady parry. It was ironic, really. He'd always feared Megaera when he was young. Now? He felt nothing but contempt.<p>

The Blades of Oblivion cracked like whips from his arms, snapping murderously against

"You were never a warrior!" she shrieked at him as they fought, all thoughts of Kratos forgotten as she struggled for her very life. "Just a brute!"

"By your design!" he roared. "Your machinations!"

He dipped between the weaving limbs and struck a mighty double-bladed blow into her chest. New strength and power flowed up the chains into his body as he drank his aunt's life. He whirled to hamstring her, but she was faster than he'd anticipated, even with her mortal wound. Claws swung, sweeping him off his feet then stabbing for his throat in the next instant before he could so much as blink. Against anyone else that would've spelled death, guaranteed them a one way trip to Hades. But against a demigod?

She signed her own death warrant.

Naruto dropped the Blades of Oblivion and opened his hands, fingers splaying even as the serated talons screamed towards his face. Greek fire sizzled within his palms, a gelatinous mass of pure plasmas. Then he flung it into her face. Megaera screamed. Her lone arm was suddenly devoted to scraping the hellfire out of her eyes and in that instant, slipped out from under her claws and kicked up with both boots, his legs cannoning out with enough force to crumble a mountain. Ribs shattering like glass as she twirled backwards and tried to scramble away, but her claws gave out beneath her.

Naruto stood and the Fury shrank back. A tinny-sounding shriek fleeing from her bloody lips.

"You have caused me pain for the last time, nephew!" she spun around and leered with her remaining eye, teeth bared in a rictus of fury as he approached. The Blades of Oblivion were nestled once more upon his back-a cold gleam shining in those hearltess eyes. "Coward! Weakling! You were never your father's son! You WEREN'T!" She tried to open her mouth to insult him further...

...and died.

Green eyes widened, her pupils shrinking to a sliver of color within those white eyes. Her entire body convulsed. Twitched. Spasming, she struggled to look at him, her eyes traveling to the hand trapped in her stomach. Naruto said nothing, he simply kept his hand where it was, the chained forearm sheathed into her guts. She felt his fingers curl around her spine, locking about it in a vicious vice. Then he began to pull. A look of horror dawned on the Fury's face. Her good arm thrust into his chest in a desperate stab, trying to stop him but to no avail. She was too weak.

"No," she begged. "Please, don't...!"

"You're right." he said quietly, ignoring the wound she'd dealt. "I've caused you enough pain."

_Snap._

His hand wrenched, snapping her spine like a twig. Megaera went limp, slumping forward in his arms. Naruto pulled again, and a portion of her spine came free with his hand, the jagged bone bending back as he swung the improvised whip forward at her neck. The fury didn't even scream. Her lips simply parted in a small, round O. Even as her head rolled from her shoulder, he was already moving, pressing deeper into the Citadel. He glanced back at her body only briefly, wondering if he should feel something. But there was nothing there. Nothing.

Nothing at all.

* * *

><p>Tisiphone was...difficult. She'd always cared for me. There had always been kindness in those milky-white eyes. She'd never said a harsh word to me, never raiseda hand against me. She sang me to sleep sometimes in the dark, soothing me with her soft voice when I couldn't sleep. She was the closest thing I had to a real mother. To a parent. But she knew her duty-just as I knew mine. There could be no quarter given here to her. It would be a fight to the finish for all parties involved. Nothing spared. None taken. She knew I was here for vengeance.<p>

And I feared she would deny me that sweet release, like so many others.

Dealing with her...was the hardest thing I'd ever done.

Probably because I had to deal with a small army, first.

* * *

><p>Reaching his second aunt required less finese than it had Megaera and more brute, stubborn, strength. She'd learned well from her sister's death, and called all manner of monsters and other beasts to her side to delay him; prevent her nephew from reaching the inner sanctum where Alecto doubltessly dwelt. Naruto had since left Kratos far behind, he could hear the sounds of the Spartan's exertions as he too beat back the beasts. It was incredibly cruel of him to press forward while the Ghost of Sparta dealt with the small fry.<p>

That left him to deal with the cyclops barring his path.

He whirled to bifurcate the beast with his unbrekable swords, but the enormous monster was faster than it looked. The one-eyed creature swept its vast club into a rising parry and cleared the blades from between them, then dropped its club and wrapped those gargantuan arms around Naruto's chest, pinning both arms to his side. The Cyclops squeezed until the demigod's ribs began to crack and clouds of blackness washed through the wraith's vision.

The Cyclops roared its triumph-until its lone eye focused on Naruto's face. The Son of Ares was smiling.

Then he unleashed the Rage of Ares.

Fire burst from him in a tidal wave, a decade of pent up emotion searing forth, branding his captor until it yowled in pain and was forced to slacken its grip. In that instant the warrior tore his arms free, and the Blades of Oblivion tasted blood. They came down at the joining of the Cyclop's neck and shoulders, carving a gore-splashing V downwards until they met at the creature's monstruous heart. Naruto released his blades to seize the Cyclop's head-which stilll blinked its eye in astonishment-and then hurled it into the path of three oncoming satyrs, bowling the infantry over themselves.

As the rest of Cyclop's body shuddered and collapsed-crushing still more soldiers-Naruto kicked off it into a small gap betwen the corpse and a stone alleway. Bracing his arms on either side for leverage, he shot up the incline with a burst of speed, scooting his way to the top. Strong hands grasped the edge of the ledge and swung himself over the edge-

Naruto nearly died.

He didn't see the Juggernaut until it was almost too late; hadn't even realized it was on the roof. Hells, he didn't even hear it. The only warning came when its shadow fell over him. Then its sword slammed down on his back. His saving grace was that he'd sheathed the Blades of Oblivion a moment ago; so, instead of finding flesh, the pachiderm's blade slammed down into the mighty steel forged by Hades. Bruising him badly, yes, but sparing his life. Dropping a knee and rolling aside, Naruto offered a quite thanks to the Lord of the Underworld for creating such durable weapons.

_"So nice to be appreciated."_ the God's raspy voice echoed deeply in his head. _"Try not to die, nephew. I'd be so bored without you."_ Naruto laughed grimly in retort and finished his roll, coming up swinging. It was good to know that at least some Gods still suported him in his quest for vengeance. Spinning back to the Juggernaut, Naruto opened his hand, preparing another cone of flame.

A gout of Greek fire only served to enrage the mighty mammal.

Trumpeting its fury, the beast lumbered after him, seeking to impale him on its tusks. This time, Naruto was ready. Spartans like Kratos might never retreat, but any wise warrior knew a frontal assault was fated to fail when faced with those deadly spikes. Besides, this was no base beast that could be killed with a flick of the wrist. A terrifying cross, a hybrid between man and elephant, the Juggernaut posessed all the raw destructive power of a Cyclops, but with the cunning mind of a man. This wasn't a creature he wanted to face alone if it could be helped, not when he still had his aunt, mother, and possibly even Ares to face this day. And then his mind seized upon an idea.

_Help._

That was it! His eyes cut to the carnage below and caught sight of Kratos. The Spartan was raging furiously against everything the Furies had thrown at him thus far; but one could clearly see the exhaustion begining to wear him thin. Months-years-spent chained were taking their toll. A stark bellow boomed from his throat, momentarily stunning the Juggernaut where it stood.

"Spartan!" He called, raising a hand! "Take cover!"

The former general did so without so much as a second thought, dropping flat to the nearest wall in the same instant that Naruto called down hellfire upon the horde arrayed against him. It was as if the sky itself rained fire and death,. Satyrs, serpents and Cyclops all burned as the fiery comets fell down upon them, charring them to ash. When the rain of death finally ceased, the spartan glanced towards him,those dark eyes dissecting his strange ally on the rooftops, calculating the route he would take. Even from here he could see the struggle taking place within; the Ghost of Sparta was wondering if he could truly be trusted.

And then he ran.

Not away from the fight, but rather, towards it. With surprising speed and agility the Ghost of Sparta scaled the walls much in the same way he had, clamoring up the building cliffside with a grace that defied his age. In mere moments they stood side by side, facing the elephantine beast as it finally recovered. A heavy stomp beneath them caused the roof to momentarily, its loud braying seemed to drive all sound from the world.

"You need my aid against such a creature?" Kratos scoffed. "What kind of warrior are you?"

"Just shut up and help me kill it!"

As one the twin blades of Chaos and Oblivion flew forward, unlimbered from their master's wrists with a skill born from years of battle. The air was suddenly a storm of blades and blood, the chained weapons arcing out at the massive berserker. It could find no rest their in that malestrom; whenever it turned to ward off one, the other would close in, relentlessly pressing the attack.

Caught between Naruto and Kratos, the bloodied Juggernaut seemed momentarily at a loss, its red eye sweeping back and forth from the Ghost of Sparta and the Son of Ares. Finally, it decided to go for what it deemed to be the lesser of the two, bounding toward the weary Spartan. A mistake.

Kratos swerved aside with contemptuous ease, sneering at its suicidal charge as he rammed his blades home into its back. In that same instant, Naruto swept its legs and plunged his own weapons deep into the hulking creature's throat, dragging it down to the rooftop and holding it there. From there the Spartan delivered the killing blow-the hooks of Chaos sinking deep into the beast's brain. It keeled over with nary a whimper. There was a final shudder, no doubt some effort for it to rise against, but with its mind gone, the muscles merely spasmed haphazardly.

Naruto straightened from his crouched, appraising the kill. Their kill. He smiled. Even after being chained for so many years, Kratos' ability and skills hadn't slackened in the slightest. He offered an arm to the spartan-a gesture of camradarie and friendship as ancient as time itself. Kratos lingered for all of an instant before taking his arm in his. They shook. The Demigod couldn't quite keep the smile from his face.

"Not bad, for a spartan."

"Not bad for an Athenian." Kratos countered.

Naruto opened his mouth to say he wasn't-

_ BA-KRAM!_

Their victory was short-lived, however. Their battle with the Juggernaut, quick as it had been, had allowed the other beasts to surround them. Naruto spun in a circle and saw dozens of horned satyrs, gorgons and other less than savory creatures advancing. If they engaged one or two, that many more would attack from behind. Naruto crouched behind the Jugggernaut's massive body, using as a battlement while he reached back over his shoulder, and his hand filled with fresh fire. He wasn't expecting Kratos to step ahead of him.

"I'll hold them off." he said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Uh, Spartan? I think that'd be a task best suited to me. You know, someone who isn't exhausted-what the hell?!" He got a hard shove for those words; the sudden jarring motion sent him stumbling forward and off the roof. Instinctually he leapt before he could plummet to the seas below, his second jump carrying him to the next rooftop. His spiked greaves scraped across the stone, drawing sparks as he skidded to a forceful halt. His eyes found Kratos almost immediately, looking on in quiet horror as the Spartan drew his blades and prepared to face his doom.

"What're you doing?!"

"Go, fool! You have a better chance against the Furies than I do!" His blades spun, creating a tornado of steel and fire, driving Alecto's forces back. Naruto hissed. Idiot! He'd die! But if left alone he might buy him some time before the legions of the furies overwhelmed them both. Curse his need for vengeance!

Before he could deliberate the matter further his body betrayed him-taking another lunging leap, then another. One final bound took him over a grate and left him staring at the door to the innermost chambers of the Citadel. If his mother was anywhere, it would be here, close enough to command her forces, yet also far enough to retreat should he penetrate the heart of her sanctum. Tisiphone was likely within as well. Would she stand between him and his goals? The Gods themselves wanted the Furies whiped out, destroyed for their corruption. Did he have it in him to kill the only other person who'd ever shown him kindness.

Destiny awaited him.

His scarred hand pushed open the door and he stepped into darkness. The Blades of Oblivion lit an eerie violet as he entered further into the black, the flames of Hades burning brightly in the gloom. A face formed itself in those fires. For a moment, he thought it was Hades himself, come to give one last final remark to his nephew. But no, this visage was female, with eyes that seemed to pierce into the very heart of his soul. It took an instant to recognize her, but when she spoke, he knew her at once.

"Athena?"

_"Naruto,"_ the visage of flames spoke to him with a great urgence, _"You must be careful. Alecto is stronger than you know. Your mother will seek to warp and twist your mind with her illusions, turning your deepest fears and greatest desires against you. I cannot offer you any aid, only the hope that you will prevail. Trust in your heart, keep a sound mind, and you will succeed."_

"And Tisiphone?"

There was a moment of silence._ "Do with her as you will."_

He turned aside, suddenly doubtful. "Why place so much faith in me?" he muttered, the words spoken almost to himself. "I was going to kill all of you."

_"Forgiveness is there for us all, warrior."_ the Goddess replied, and for a moment-just a moment!-he imagined he felt her reach down from Olympus itself and lay a hand on him. _"Even one such as yourself is not beyond redemption. Complete this task, kill Ares, and you shall be cleansed And more." _Just what was she implying?

Once more, the Son of Ares started forward. "Very encouraging. Thanks ever _soooo_ much."

_"Go with the Gods, Naruto."_ Athena intoned at his back, fading from sight. _"Go forth in the name of Olympus!"_

"No pressure."

Scarce had he spoken those very words than the flames of his blades guttered out, plunging him back into blackness. Naruto froze at once, raising his weapons in preparation for an ambush. Something clattered in the dark. A cold chill stole over him. But nothing came. Still he waited. Nothing emerged. Nothing, beyond the sound of his own breathing. Grimacing to himself he pressed on, resolving to continue in spite of whatever was stalking him in the shadows. The next door he came to was immediately flung open without thought-entered into a sparsely decorated hallway. No attack came. He slammed through another door. Still nothing. Another still. No sign of Tisiphone or Alecto.

Then he arrived.

He found himself staring at a well-lit antechamber, all high vaulted walls and ceilings, golden and pearl and marble. He'd been here before. This was his mother's personal chamber. Which meant she should be near. He drew a Blade of Oblivion, tensing in preparation for battle. She would tell him what he wanted to know. _Or what?_ An insidious little voice whispered in his mind. _You'll kill her? Your own mother. Why not? You've already got the blood of a brother and an aunt on your hands. Might as well go for broke._

Naruto wanted to stamp that voice out, but he couldn't. A servant scuttled past him, head bowed low, shrinking back as she saw his weapons. Naruto roared at her and she retreated, shrieking into a corner. He came to one last door as he pushed past the servile girl; this one he knew led to his mother's bed. He pushed it open, taking in her dark bed and the curtains draping it at a glance. No sign of his mother at all. If she wasn't here then-

"Hello, brother."

Naruto spun at the voice and stiffened, his spine shooting ramrod straight all over again. No. His eyes were drawn to a figure leaning against the wall, a shadow dettaching itself. Dark hair glinted in the candlight. Stark yellow eyes stared back at from a tanned visage.

He was looking at Orkos. The man took a step forward. Naruto shrank back. No. No. He'd stopped having the visions. This wasn't real.

"You...you're dead."

"Am I?" his sibling replied, circling him. "I feel quite alive."

"You're a ghost." he refused to acknowledge this spectre. This...phantom. "I-I laid you to rest years ago."

"Are you certain the body you buried was mine?"

"Yes!"

Orkos smiled. "The arrogant Gods have many ways of deceiving us mortals. They could've put my face on another."

Naruto felt his mouth twitch. "You always respected the Gods. It was you who told me not to kill them!"

"I lost that respect when they tried to have me killed."

The scowl depened.

His mind was whirling, struggling to proccess what his eyes were telling him, the images that he was receiving. Orkos? No. Not Orkos. Orkos was dead. A scowl tore across his face. Ten years. A decade. Orkos had been dead for ten years. His blood stained his body, turning his skin black. And they thought that the sight of him was enough to still him. They were right. It had made him hesitate, if only for a fraction. No more. His blades whipped outwards in a violent arc, skewering his "brother" in the point of either shoulder, spilling hot blood. The cry that parted his lips was still his. Naruto felt his mind start to break. No. Not his voice. _NOT HIS!_

"Brother, what are you doing?!"

_"LIAR!"_ Roaring, Naruto swung the Blades anew. Another crack of those chains pinned Orkos the wall. Black blood spilled. His brother's blood. Orkos screamed. The Son of Ares swarmed forwards-driving a knee into the stomach of his sibling. When that didn't deter him he lashed out again, seizing Orkos by the throat and slamming him facefirst into the wall, bloodying his visage. "Stop!" Once. Twice. Three times the blond smashed his face inward to the wall. Three times his younger brother wailed. Shrieked. "Stop!" Naruto willed his heart to stone as he drew back again.

"You're hurting me!"

"Get out of my head!" he thundered! "Now!"

"I-

"OUT!"

Before his very eyes Orkos rippled. Male became female. The writhing man in his grasp turned into a slender woman; body pressed against his, those delicate curves concealed in a golden-black robe. White-eyes stated back at him in pain and agony, the blood on her face the same as that of Orkos. Naruto recoiled with a hisss, dropping her as though he'd been scalded to the touch. He might as well have been. If there was one person in the world whom he wished no harm, one being whom he still loved and respected, it was his second aunt.

"Tisiphone?" he'd been expecting Alecto. Then it hit him. The servant! The one he'd passed in the hall! "What have you done?"

"What was neccessary." she rasped. "I...couldn't let you kill her. If she dies, it'll ruin everything."

"I didn't want to kill you!"

"You'll never get to her now." His aunt tried to laugh when she slumped to the floor, but it ended in a painful cough, expelling a bloody gob onto the floor at his feet. "She'll be long gone now by the time you finish with me."

Greek fire burned in his hands. "Tell me where!"

She stared at him for a long moment. She looked almost...sad.

"No." she said at last. "I don't think I will."

"Damn!" The hybrid flashed into smoke, Orkos's Oath Stone in his off hand, Greek fire still blazing in the other. Too late, Tisiphone realized her mistake. The fiery missile flew, and the blond was gone. Miles down the corridor, a dark rumble reached her ears. There was a long moment of silence. Then they both heard it, a terrifying sursurus of sounds that made their blood simultaneously freeze and boil at once. A scream. Alecto's scream. The Son of Ares sneered, snuffing out the fire in a hand.

"She'll have nowhere to go now...but here." They both knew of the exit of which he spoke, the secret passages hidden in a trapdoor here beneath the bed. It had been used to meet Ares for their secrets trysts, the very clandestine meetings that resulted in his birth. His mother was probably furious with him now, and that fury clouded her judgement. She could've willed herself away, but he knew she would want revange for the chaos he was causing. She would never let a blow slide once it had been struck.

They were alike in that lone aspect, at least.

"You're insane!"

"Insane?" Naruto returned his attention to Tisiphone, still alive, if wounded. "No, I think I'm sane for the very first time. I never wanted this destiny that Alecto forced on me. But you...you were like a mother to me. I'd always look to you for solace or advice, even comfort. I wish we could have avoided...this." he gestured to the room, to the destruction he'd wrought.

Tisiphone leered up at him furiously. "But you're still going to kill me, aren't you?"

Naruto considered her words for a moment. He should kill Tisiphone. He should. His aunt was a threat. If given the chance-she might try to kill him. But for all the lessons Ares had beaten into him over the course of his life, his heart, shriveled and blackened, refused to allow it. In the end, he made his decision and lived with it.

"Leave." he said at last, standing and taking one last look at his auntie. "I don't want to kill you. "I don't even think I can. That's not a burden I think I can bear." Sheathing his blades, he chose the most difficult path of all. He chose that which his heart abhored more than anything else. He walked away. Without so much as another word, he left her behind. "Enjoy the curse of eternity but know this; if I ever, and I mean ever, see you again, I won't hestitate."

"No; because you hesitated just now!"

A burning bird of blue and yellow fire burst into existence behind him before he could reply. Tisiphone latched onto her pet, allowing it to hoist her upright.

Naruto had never seen his aunt truly angry before. Now, with her roiling emotions, the room around them seemed to writhe and shift; he suddenly stood at the prow of a boat being drawn into a whirpool. He felt the salty spray splash on his face, and kept his eyes locked on his aunt as their surroundings warped once more. Then they were both baking in the searing heat of the Egyptian sun boring into him. Then he stood at the place of his greatest failure, the body of Orkos at his feet. With all his willpower the Son of Ares refused to falter.

"I offered you mercy!" he called out into the flames. But the madness in her eyes told him Tisiphone did not hear. This was not the same aunt he had known all those years ago. Something had changed her, just as it'd changed Megaera and his mother. But whatever it was, he didn't have time to ponder it.

"Come my lovely." she cooed, stroking the beast's beak. "If pain is what our nephew shows us then pain is what he shall receive!" With a wordless cry it darted forward at him, ready to pluck out his eyes.

Naruto didn't even glance at the Daimon. He simply opened a hand. The bird cawed in surprise, expecting an easy kill. It was completely unrepared for the wave of molten fire that came pouring forth from his palm, an almighty wave of destruction that reduced the bird to bare bones in the blink of an eye. The Son of Ares brutally reached out and broke the creature's neck before it could reform. Its body turned to ash in his hands like fine snow falling from his palm. His aunt was already swooping towards him, fingers drawn back for the kill.

Naruto waved a hand, and sudddenly there were dozens of him. An illusion. Distraction. Tisiphone saw through almost immediately it of course, she'd always been far more skilled than he. But that instant was all it took for him to raise a Blade of Oblivion and thrust it through her chest, piercing her heart. She crumpled like a sack of potatoes, the breath leaving her lungs in a quiet whoosh. She gasped, perhaps in shock, or surprise, he would never know. It might have been anger.

It was a quick, clean death. She never saw it coming. Indeed, by the time he pulled the blade from her chest Tisiphone was already dead; and, by the time she even _realized_ she was dead, she was in Hades. It was the least he could do for the woman who'd all but raised him.

Laying her to rest, Naruto placed both hands over her chest and placed her body upon the bed. She was so small. So fragile. How had it come to this? He was well and truly a kinslayer now, murderer of his family. The penultimate piece of this painful puzzle was coming for him even now.

He kissed Tisiphon softly on the forehead, one last time. A lone tear trailed out of his eye, rolling down his cheek to land on her face.

"Goodbye, auntie." There was a beat of silence. Then he heard it. Footsteps. In the distance. A slow hiss greeted his ears.

"Prepare yourself, my son."

Swallowing quietly, the Son of Ares steeled himself for the all-consuming fury of his mother.

* * *

><p>Alecto-mother-was a challenge of a different sort.<p>

Can you truly call someone your mother when they never care for you? Oh, she certainly made a good show of it, going on about how it was my duty to rid the world of Zeus, and how I should be honored that as a Son of Ares that my father had chosen me to aid him in his goals. But did she ever say she loved me? No. Spend time with me? No. Tuck me into bed when I was child? No. Tend to me, when I was illl? Comfort me when I'd had a nightmare? Not a once. From the moment I could walk and talk, my childhood was over in her eyes I was expected to be a warrior. I was expected to excel in all things; and if not, I'd be cast aside.

There was never any love in her heart for me. I was just a pawn to her. A means to an end. The token affections she did give me were just enough to fool me into thinking that she cared. Enough to keep me clinging to her skirts, chasing after scraps. For the longest time

I had fought through hell and back to have my redemption. I had crossed through paradise and perdition and forsaken both to claim what was rightfully mine. It hung in my grasp now, just out of reach. Closer than I'd ever dreamed it to be. And all that stood between me and that fate was the woman who'd given birth to me.

I would not be denied.

* * *

><p>Mother and Son collided in a storm of magic and illusion.<p>

Spells were cast then discarded in the next instant; bolts of lightning dissipating harmlessly against great comets called fom the night sky, their stark light standing out against the stars themselves.

"Where is he?!"

"You'll never know!"

One moment they were in Greece; the next, they were in ancient Asia. The citadel crumbled around them, great chunks of masonry falling from the sky, threatening to crush them where they stood. Alecto became both beast and human, monster and titan, even a God, constantly warping and shifting forms in an effort to get an upper hand. She couldn't find it. For each abomination she became Naruto countered her. She became both his worst fear and greatest desire, and her eldest, quite simply, stomped her into the ground. All the while she ridiculed him, cursed him for the chaos-the pain-he'd caused.

"You shame me, my son! Oath-breaker!" her skirts twirled away as a gout of greek fire splashed at her feet, sizzling and searing at the stone. "You think you want your father's death," Naruto lunged after her, chains a violent blur of black and purple as they carved out at her face. "But it will only bring you pain! Fool! You were supposed to fight for us, not against us!" They grappled as he knocked her to the floor, the deadly hooks of his weapons tearing still more blood and strength from her body. He wrenched her to the floor, sending shards of sharp, glassy pain bursting befroe her vision.

Gasping, wretching for breath, she managed to clamor to her feet. Her son towered over her, his dark skin glinting harshly in the starlight. She struggled to find words as he pulled his hand back, fingers clencing into an obvious, taut point, as though he were forming a spear with his very arm. His eyes brimmed with anger and emotion, all of it locked behind those bright blue eyes.

"Then I will live with that pain." Then he struck.

Golden eyes widened, pupils shrinking to sliver of color in those white eyes. Her entire body convulsed. Twitched. Naruto said nothing, he simply kept his hand where it was, the chained forearm sheathed into her chest, to the elbow. She felt his fingers wrap around her heart. There was no pain. He'd never held it before; from the moment he'd been born, Alecto simply hadn't been able to bring herself to love him. In her heart, she had no desire to care for something that looked to be an abomination.

"My death will not save you." she hissed, blood bubbling up between her clenched teeth.

"It doesn't have to."

She couldn't bring herself to believe that this fair-haired, blue-eyed child had been birthed from her womb. Even Orkos at least resembled her. But here, in her last moments of life as he ripped her still-beating heart up and out of her chest, Alecto felt something for her son, her only living child. Sorrow. He looked so fragile beneath all that anger. Orkos death had broken something in him. Killing the rest of them-killing her-would likely only unhinge him even further. By this time tomorrow, most, if not all, of his family would be dead. Regret coursed through her.

Here, too late, Alecto felt love for her child. She should've felt it sooner. She wanted to tell him, but all she managed was to raise a hand and cup his cheek. Words spilled from her mouth like water; in her last instants of life, she told him what he wanted to hear.

"You...won't have to find him. He will come for you."

He squeezed with all the force of a God and her heart burst between his fingers. She shattered like fine china. And Alecto went to join her sisters. Naruto laid her to rest on the marble floor. His knees threatened to fall out from underneath him, betraying him with their weakness.

"I'll see you soon, Mother."

And then they gave out.

Naruto wasn't sure why-or how long-he cried. It could have been minutes. It might've been hours. Only that when his tears were finally dry, he felt cleansed. He'd just murdered his own mother. There could be no such thing as forgiveness for this. Not for him. The Gods might deem him expediated, but he'd never be able to forgive himself. And now he was about to commit patricide. A harsh humorless laugh left from his lips and took hold of him until he could no longer speak. Then, and only then did he rise.

With weary steps, he clamored out of the temple. Kratos had freed the prisoners since he'd seen him last, but of the Ghost of Sparta there was no sign. For all that his mother had said, there was still no sign of the War God, either. He needed to find another lead to Ares, some other way of-

**_"BOY!"_**

An earthquake shook the citadel. Naruto had to stop and widen his stance in order to keep his feet. Smoke filled his vision. Wait. Not smoke. It was darker than that. Larger. Moving. It was as if a giant had just stepped out of the sky, a mountain of flame and fire, landed before his very eyes. And then that voice spoke.

_"You have meddled in my affairs long enough!"_

Naruto shivered. Ares.

The huge god stepped _through_ one of the many arms of the Hecatonchires and strode up the causeway, stepping on any prisoners or monsters too slow to escape his advance. The war god roared, shaking the heavens and earth. He reached down, caught one of the few fools running towards him, giant fingers crushed around the man in a vice, plucked the weapons from his very hands. Ripping. Tearing. Even from here, Naruto could hear the sounds of flesh bursting, bones breaking.

_"Is this who you collude with now?"_ Ares thundered, his voice breaking with scorn. _"Traitors and oathbreakers?!_

"Put him down!"

_"Gladly!"_ The God laughed and flicked the man away as he might an annoying bug. The scream the man gave was not thin and high as one might've expected; it was hoarse, furious and incredibly familiar. It died with the man's voice when he crashed into the earth mere feet from Naruto. His white, ashen skin was matted with fresh bloods. The blades on his back and arms were now little more than broken shards, tattered strips of flesh, burned and broken. The demigod felt his world slow to a crawl.

"Kratos!" he darted towards him without thought, giving no heed to his rampaging father only a few miles away, growing closer with ever step. He had no way of knowing that he'd just spared the city of Athens from a terrible fate at the hands of his father, Naruto was far too focused on the broken mortal before him. His heart twisted. His gifts were of pain and death; his regeneration a one-way street. He couldn't heal him.

The Spartan managed to drag himself up onto an elbow, but no further. He vomitted blood. Dark eyes drifted open and shut. He saw Naruto. A weary smile creased his face. Naruto tried to shake him, but to no avail. It did nothing but make the man blink. This Spartan was mean to best the God of War. Not him. He was mean to be so much...more. Now he was bleeding out in some misbegotten pirson.

"My time is finished." he murmurred, reaching out to grasp him by the arm. "Avenge me, Son of Ares. Do what I could not. Kill him! Kill the God of War!"

How did he know that?

"I-

Kratos gripped his arm tighter, his grip breaking in the throes of death.

"Avenge...me!"

Those were his last words; he went to Hades with his next breath. His already pallid flesh seemed to become even more pale, his body slumping lifelessly in his arms. Naruto felt-watched-the claws of Hades come up to claim their prize; and he let his uncle taken the Spartan away, ushering him down to the pits of Tartarus. Perhaps Kratos might find his wife and child within. Rage boiled within him at the thought. Death was a relase-a freedom he could not afford. Not yet.

Naruto stood slowly. Woodenly, without care. His eyes found his father, fury carving its way into his face.

"Ares...

_"Bah! This is what I get for raising a child! **DISSAPOINTMENT!"**_

Then Ares began stamping on any who caught his eye, his fury palpable. Ares rampaged through the citadel crushing buildings and kicking away any who dared to cross his path. The prison was entirely at the mercy of the God of War, and mercy was in short supply. Naruto's father had no more mercy than he did compassion or self-restraint. It was a bad night to be a mortal. Naruto was both a demigod and Fury. When was it ever a good time to be a weak mortal? Ares had slaughtered countless lives, and now Kratos was merely another casualty added to that list.

No more.

"Father,no...ARES!" he showed his teeth to the night like a rabbid wolf, his howl causing the God of War to spin where hs tood. "You die tonight!" Deep within him, something broke. He smashed through a barrier he'd not known to exist, and invisible wall erected to keep him in check.

And he became something more.

Naruto cried out as power surged through his body, filled his soul...and more. His arms rose over his head, and tiny sparks danced between his fingers. Never had he imagined such power dwelling within him. Was this what it felt like to be a God? Then the world shrank around him. He experienced a terrible instant of vertigo, and his eyes snapped shut agains it; it felt as though he were about to plunge feetfirst into Hades. But then that vertigo passed, and when his eyes next opened, Kratos was but an ant beneath his feet.

Naruto didn't realize he'd _grown_ until he stood face to face with his father. Eye to eye. It was as if his body now matched the enormity of his anger. Where before he had not stood as tall as Ares's ankle he now looked the god square in the eye. And in those eyes he thought he'd just seen a flicker of fear.

Ares chased away his dismay with towering fury. He took a step back, considering. "Impressive." he did not sound surprised; if anything, he seemed quite pleased. He lifted his face to the skies again and threw wide his arms. _"Is this the best you can offer, Zeus? You send my own son against me?! You-oomph!"_

He never got to finished that sentence; because Naruto drew first blood. A devastating right hook slammed into Are's face, spinning him around and sending the God of War staggering backward. Ares righted himself in an instant, whiping a thin trail of blood away from his mouth. His face twisted into a contemtuous sneer. _"You may be my son, but you're still just a mortal. Every bit as weak as the day I took you under my wing."_

"I am what you made me, father." Naruto straightened, and when he spoke, his voice too, shook the citadel. "Ten years you've made me suffer. Now, you die."

Ares's sneer expanded into dark laughter. "Do you really think you can kill your old man?!

Naruto dropped into his fighting crouch, unlimbering the Blade of Oblivion from his back. In response, his father drew a massive flaming halberd from nothingness, its gleaming edge singing sorrowfully as it rent at the air between them. Naruto dipped deeper into his stance. A flick of his wrist sent the left blade twirling, arcing around his head like an ancient flail.

"Won't know until I try now, will I?"

With a snarl, he stepped forward and unleashed war upon a god.

* * *

><p>Athena watched the fight shown by the scrying pool before the throne of Olympus, Zeus and Hades at her side, her heart pounding until she could barely breathe. This was more than base anxiety at having reached the climax of a decade-long-plan. Astonishingly, she worried for Naruto! Though she could hardly believe it, she somehow worried for the Son of Ares. When Naruto met his father's enraged charge by casting a palm of fiery napalm into his parent's eyes, she caught her breath.<p>

When Ares thrashed through the flames and slammed him down with the flat of his blade, she gasped. Naruto lurched upright and tackled his father to the ground; now he was straining to drive a Blade of Oblivion -what might very well be Hades's greatest creation- into his father's skull and turn his brain to bloody pulp, Athena found herself on her feet with no memory of having stood. She found herself clenching her fists as Naruto fought, grinding her teeth, shoulders twitching as though she could somehow will her champion to win. When Ares kicked him off and made it back to his feet, she again could not breathe.

Naruto was dauntless, however, throwing himself back into the fight without hesitation.

"He fights well." Hades rumbled to her left. "See how he wieldes those blades? My blades?"

"You chose your champions well, my daughter." Zeus seemed inclined to agree. "I haven't seen such tenacity in_-oh, look at that!"_

Athena glanced up from the scrying pool, fighting to hide her smile at Zeus's praise. The Sky Father was famous for his impartiality, but even he seemed to be delighting in the storm of chaos raging on the world below their feet. One might even go so far as to say he was _excited._

"Now _this _is a fight!" he exclaimed. His eyes danced and color was high on his cheeks. Tiny flashes of lightning showed in his beard of clouds. "None of this modern leaping around. This is how it _used _to be. He's reflects well on your decision."

"Ares chose." she sniffed proudly. "I refined."

"So you did, my chil." Zeus nodded, patting at her shoulder. "So you did."

"Ha!" Hades boomed out a laugh as Naruto grabbed his father by the flaming beard and slammed him down into the mountain. "And she chose rightly! See how Ares flails!"

"You favor him as well, brother?" Zeus sounded momentarily amused, the animosity between him and his brother all but forgotten as they watched the melee. "I would've thought you indifferent."

"The boy is my nephew. Of course I favor him."

"Is not Ares also your nephew?"

"Bah," the Lord of the Underworld waved a dismissive hand at the words. "Our family line has always been a muddled knot. Although," His helmet turned toward Athena, his eyes shining in curiosity. "That would explain why our little Athena seems so taken with him. Better a demigod than a mortal, eh?

Athena jerked at the question and then flushed with shame for being so transparent. "Nonsense," she said, summoning up a veil of calm to mask her anxiety. "I care for him as Hades cares for Persephone and as you care for your eagles, father. As I care for all my worhsippers."

Father and uncle exchanged a knowing glance. "As you say...

"It is as I say!" The Goddess of Wisdom colored anew as she redirected her attention to the pool. Her expression softened as she watched the Son of Ares rage, his body enfulged in flame. "Once he kills Ares, he will be forgiven. The visions, his pain, the blood that marks his skin and the memories that haunt him so...he will finally have peace.

"Who said anything about that his memories?"

"What?"

Zeus hooted, tacitlly refusing to answer her question. Athena worried. No. Naruto needed-deserved-forgiveness for all he'd done. If that was denied...

Hades frowned, cutting that train of thought mercilessly short.

"Looks like we're coming to the climax...

* * *

><p>"Gah!" Ares staggered backwards with a roar as his broadsword flew from his hand. Cursing, he clutched at the stinging limb, watching as his favored weapon sank fully into the skull of the Hecatonchires, finally stilling the thrashing prisoner of the Furies at long last. But his son wasn't still. Though he too was bleeding from a thousand cuts, he still moved swiftly, slinging his cursed blades forward like a pair of dread boomerangs-may Hades be damned to Tartarus for forging such a masterpiece!-taking advantage of his father's brief moment of inattention to claim the blade for himself.<p>

With his own two hands he wrenched it from the creature's skull, the blade pulsating an eerie blue in his palm. He swung forward and sent his father sprawling. Any assault on his mind was rendered fruitless, so intense was his rage. Ares didn't understand. He had taught the boy everything he knew! How could he be losing! HOW?!

"Give up and die with honor." his son sneered. "Maybe you'll find some redemption that way."

That earned him a snarl.

_"Foolish whelp! Now you'll learn what it truly means to anger the god of**...WAR!"**_ Ares hunched over, and his face blackened with strain. Bursting through the impenetrable armor on his back came jointed appendages, writhing like legs of some nightmares spider/scorpion, armored in black shell, and ending in blades longer than the very weapons his son wielded._ "Now, it is time for your final lesson!"_ With a clatter of his bladed limbs Ares sprang like a wolf spider, every blade angled to drink deep his son's blood.

Abandoning defense altogether, Naruto stepped to mee this father. Blade beat against blade as God and Demigod pressed the attack, goring and skewering one another, only to heal moments later AGAIN. Blood bathed the seas and turned the waters red with the life of the God of War and his son. And then in an impossible movement, Naruto bested him. Slinging the chains forward even as he stepped bakwards in retreat, he wrapped them around the piercing limbs and yanked. Bereft of his balance, Ares stumbled forward-

-and onto his own sword.

Naruto swung hard with the mighty weapon, severing the many limbs on his back, driving Are's own sword into his hand and severing the fingers there. Ares scrambled drunkenly to his feet, clutching at the wound, his broken hand hanging uselessly at his side. Another slash bit into his side, leeching still more strength from his father. With a roar that was more outrage than pain, Ares finally collapsed, dropping to a knee. Naruto kept after him, sword arcing up to bite at his face, cutting into his flaming beard.

Ares tried to raise a hand again and Naruto _swung_ again, taking that hand clear off. This time his scream was more _pain_ that outage. His father spasmed and spat black-red blood.

_"What," _he gasped._ "What have you done to me?!"_

Lips peeled back from his teeth. "How do you like your little mosnter now?"

Ares stared up at him, in his eyes only fear and pleading could be seen there. His remaining arm stretched out imploringly.

_"Naruto...wait! We can still rule, you and I!"_

The blade ascended.

_"My son...I was just...trying...to make you a better warrior!"_

Naruto scowled down at the God of War, his face twisting in cold, quiet fury as he leered upon his father. Ares had always been a part of his life, a towering spectre that shadowed his very existence. His machinations had robbed him of a decent life, of love, of family, of nearly everything. He was the only living member of his broken family that remained-he didn't count the gods themselves-all that remained of a horrid legacy that had haunted him for the last ten years.

Now, here at the last, he had fallen. His face bloodied and broken, body bent down on bended knee, the God of War was begging for his very life. The marked warrior felt the tiniest stirring of pity in his chest. Perhaps Ares wasn't the true villlain in this after all. Perhaps his intentions had been noble in the beginning, only to be lost somehwere along the way. But he'd taken everything he had ever loved.

Now it was time to pay the price.

He permitted himself that lone moment of empathy. Then those dark, pitliess orbs snapped open. He took his father's hand and pulled him forward. Relief shone in his parent's eyes. As he stepped forward-

"You succeeded."

Right into the waiting blade.

Ares gawped down at the wound in disbelief. Naruto thrust his sword through his father's chest. Then his body began to twinkle with myriad lights. The lights turned into dancing motes that pulled away from his body-a rainbow of blood and death coiling upwards, swirling up into the heavens. Then, with a blinding flash and a clap of thunder like the world, it was done. Ares, was gone. Nothing of his body remained. Naruto dropped the blade, feeling himself beginning to shrink as his rage evaporated. Now, he stood no taller than the pommel of the weapon he'd wielded. Soon even less.

Exhaustion took him. He collapsed backward, his mortal form once more crashing down to the roof. A laugh left his lips.

Naruto through back his head and roared. For the first time in all his life, he felt only one thing.

_Relief._

But his journey was not yet over.

_It was only just beginning._

**A/N: What happened?! There we go, folks! If you have recently played God of War, Ascension, or beaten it like I have, then you should get the gist of the idea behind this story. That's right. Naruto isn't exactly the hero in this story. But is he the villain? Only time will tell. I found this a rare opportunity to see what made Ares the way he is. Where did he go bad? What made him rebel against Zeus? Was he a madman to begin with, or was there a catalyst that led to this? Of course, the Furies are here as well!**

**The idea of having a son who actually lived up to his expectations was a challenge suggested to me by a fellow author who wishes to remain anonymous -but you know who you are, girl!- and this idea was born. Kratos will still appear in this story, but not in the way it might be expected. Will Naruto step out from the shadow of his father? Will he try to destroy Olympus? Or is there a higher calling in store for him? ****Who knows where this will take us? But in God of War, the story is seldom a happy one, and tragedy is about to befall our beloved blond...**

**So...In the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview! Sorry I forgot to add it earlier!**

**(Preview)**

_Naruo stared up at Athena's statue, and he felt the beginnings of confusion bgin to creep onto his face as he stared at the pearly gates. As he looked on, the last of Orko's blood dripped off of his body, his skin regaining its healthy hale complexion once more. But the visions, the madness, they remained. The memories of what he'd done, the brutal butchery of his ENTIRE FAMILY still haunted him._

_"Take your place on your father's throne, Naruto." she said._

_Naruto didn't want to be a God. Damnitall, he just wanted peace!_

_"But I did everything you asked! Athena!"_

_She didn't answer him._

_Now he felt a different emotion. _

_Disgust._

**Rag.**

**R&R! =D**


	4. Ascension

**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlemen, I'm alive! I've been better given all the problems I've been going through, but I'm still breathing. Still kicking. I've been on a Mass Effect craze as of late as I'm sure you all noticed; its just my way of coping with life atm. Not only has my stupid heart failed on me again, but I've been suffering through the loss of several family members. Add to that the state of my joblessness and the school bills that keep racking up, and I'm in a bit of a tight spot at the moment. Yet here I am, fighting this damned depression, not giving into despair. To all my readers/reviewers who have encourage me in this time, I say this:**

**Thank you all for you support, and here's hoping I make it through the rough road ahead of me! *Raises glass in a toast* Long live Fanfiction! And in case my health goes south...Love ya'll! Expect an update for Bring Down the Sky to be coming soon! Remember, I own nothing! And prepare for a shocker! And of course, a fair bit of humor! But in this chapter there is a great deal of action-not to mention a shocking revelation for poor Naruto regarding the reapers, one. that may just send our favorite blond over the edge...**

**ALSO! My computer is down! BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH! I literally woke up this morning and it wouldn't work-whereas it was just FINE LAST NIGHT!? Anywho, I'm writing this from my stepdad's computer, so updates might be sporadic for a bit! Grrrrr...so angry right now! But hey, this is a nice looooong chapter, and we cover a lot of ground here! Also, I'm not going to tolerate any flames unless they're constructive criticism. So, fair warning! If you've nothing nice to say, please, don't say it.**

**Well...here ya go! =D Enjoy the humor! And we get to see some new characters this chapter! One of which I'm sure you'll recognize...AND FAIR WARNING! An awful lot happens in this chapter! ITS ANOTHER LONG ONE! The God of War bit was a new one, frankly, and I thought it interesting to try something else I haven't seen yet. If you have recently played God of War: Ascension, or beaten it like I have, then you should get the gist of the idea behind this story. That's right. Naruto isn't exactly the hero in this story. But is he the villain? Only time will tell.**

**Anywho...**

**...LOOOOONG CHAPTER AHEAD! Hope ya like it! Again! Play Ascension and all the other games here people! Else you'll be hopelessly confused! On another note the events of the Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta events have yet to occur in this story. Kratos was trapped and shackled almost IMMEDIATELY after renouncing his oath to Ares. For ten years. He did not serve the Gods as our Naruto did, did NOT open Pandora's box, and thus it is a new sort of canon that we are seeing here. One with a few similarities to the original, but s very interesting one indeed...**

** Hope you enjoy!**

_"You have no idea what is coming...!"_

_~?_

**Ascension**

I have lived-and died-as a warrior.

Thousands have perished by my hands, be they man or beast or woman or child. Even after I renounced my service to Ares and took on the role of A protector, I have failed to safeguard those who needed it most. Can I be forgiven for what I've done? Perhaps? Can I forgive myself? Never. Never will I be able to wash these hands clean. The blood may fade, but its absecence cannot erase my sins.

I am a murder.

You may call me kinslayer, butcher, slaughterer, whatever you wish to say. I will not refute you. My words are meaningless here. They do not -cannot- change what I've done. My actions may have been justified at the time; but it does not alter the fact that I killled. That I took pleasure in it. I murdered most-if not alll-of my immediate family in the the span of one night. My sole saving grace was the guilt I felt with each of their lives sent to Hades; the pain I felt as I cut my aunts, my mother, and my father down, told me that I wasn't the monster they'd made me. I was free. Finally, wonderfully free.

Now, here at the end, I stand, with the blood of a God on my hands. I had fufilled my part of the bargain. Now I waited for Athena to do the same.

But I was not granted release that night...

...instead, I was granted something else.

* * *

><p>Naruto was battered and bleeding, and once again, only a man.<p>

He stared up in awe at the vast blade that only moments before he had wielded so lightly. Now he wasn't half as tall as the blade's narrowest point was wide. He'd won. Gods above and Tartarus below, he'd done what was thought to be impossible. He had killed the God of War. His own father, dead by his hand. Patricide, at its finest. His hands were numb and his back raw with the blisters formed under the searing heat of Are's fire, his dark skin bore a littany of cuts and bruises beneath the blackness. It stood as a stark testament to his deeds. To his victory.

Unbidden, his eyes traveled back to the bloody waters below, still running red with blood. His father's blood.

_"Are you satisfied now, son?"_

Naruto turned his head slightly, regarding the ghost standing before him. He was looking at the God of War. For a long, terrifying moment all of time froze. He nearly reached for his blades. Then he saw the gaping hole stretching the width of his father's chest, and the tension drained out of him like a cracked sieve. It wasn't real. The madness had taken a new form by which to haunt and torment him; this time choosing the sneering, disapproving eye of his now deceased father. He shook his head softly, eyes downcast.

"You're not real." he said.

_"Of course I am, you weak-minded fool."_ By the gods, it even sounded like him. But that's all it was. A voice in his head.

"No," Naruto murrmured, walking through the spectre of his dead parent, "You aren't."

The Son of Ares had no more tears to cry for the passing of his progenitor. As if his soul werea well, and it had been drained dry. Now there was but one thing left to do.

Ignoring the ghost that lingered behind him, he limped back over the broken walls and cobblestones of the ruined citadel to stand before the statue of Athena. He didn't question how it had suddenly-miracuously-come to be here; he knew that the Gods worked in mysterious ways. There was a gate here as well, although its purpose and function eluded him. Its great golden doors remained barred to even his prodigous strength. Well, then. Whatever lay behind that gated seemed to be well and truly beyond his reach.

That left the statue.

Refusing to kneel, the Son of Ares looked the flawless figure in the eyes, waiting for a reaction from this statue. Gazing into the blank marble eyes, he pondered his actions of the last decade. Ten years spent in service to the Gods of Olympus, trying to attone for what he'd done. All of it about to come to an end. And then he spoke.

"Athena!"

The shimmering glow of the immanent godhead played over the marble. Sightless eyes came alight and the lips moved, curling into a small smile.

_"You have done well, Naruto."_ the statue said, the rich, dulcet tones of her voice eliciting a momentary shiver from him. "Though we mourn the death of our brother, the Gods are indebted to you." A rare and tiny note of sadness crept into her voice, staining her words with something rarer still. Sorrow. _"I'm sure you're hurting and for that, I personally apologize."_

"I do not need your pity." he scoffed, refusing to open the wound that was his heart. "I've ended the threat my father posed against you. Against Zeus. Now do your part. Take this madness from me!"

_"As you wish."_

Naruto stood a little straighter. A dark chill trickled into his veins. Before him, the statue flared, momentarily blinding him with its light. Something struck him, sending the warrior staggering back half a pace. A voice as loud as thunder-perhaps louder still-cracked in his ears with a deafening clap.

_**"I grant you forgiveness, Naruto."**_

Before his very eyes, the black blood of Orkos began to slough off his body. As if he were standing beneath a cleansing rain, the stains dripped away, pooling at his feet. Tipping his head back, the blond allowed himself to bask in the luxurious feeling, the sweet bliss that would come from having his memories and nightmares wiped clean.

It never came.

The light faded, leaving him standing before the statue and its grand gate.

Naruto stared up at Athena's statue and he felt the beginnings of confusion begin to creep onto his face as he stared at the pearly gates. As he looked on, as the very last of Orko's blood dripped off of his body, his skin regaining its healthy hale complexion once more. But the visions, the madness, they remained. The memories of what he'd done, the brutal butchery of his family still haunted him. No. That couldn't be. Surely Athena'd honored her word to him. Her bond. As if in answerment to that very thought, the Goddess spoke once more.

_"We promised your sins would be forgiven, Naruto, and so they are. But we never promised to take away your nightmares. No man, no God, could ever forget the terrible deeds you've done. I have removed the stain of Orkos from your body, but this is all I can do. If it were within my power to do more, I would."_

Naruto felt his world shatter all over again. The world dropped out beneath his feet. In his mind, Ares laughed.

"But I did _everything_ you asked!" he barked, his voice emerging as a hoarse shout, "Athena! You...you can't!"

_"I am sorry, Naruto."_

"ATHENA!"

She didn't answer him.

Naruto didn't want forgiveness. Damnitall, he just wanted peace! Now he felt a different emotion.

Disgust.

Rage boiled within him like a volcano, ready to erupt. Violet and orange sparks skittering up and down his hands, pouring into the Blades of Oblivion. After all this, they would just cast him aside?! Like Ares?! The fiery hatred that came with such a realization threatened to choke him. Strangle his sanity and send him screaming back into the oblivion he'd fought and clawed his way out of.

Athena's next words turned that anger to so much steam.

_"Still your journey is not yet over. There is more at work here than you may ever know. But you have saved more than your own life today, and worked a greater deed than taking your own revenge."_ the statue lifted a hand, palm spread outward toward him, fingers extended. _"Zeus has declared you worthy-no-you are truly more than worthy-and you will not deny him. There is an empty throne in Olympus. Your father's throne. Your throne, Naruto."_ she beckoned to him, fingers crooking invitingly. "_Come. Take my hand."_

"I don't understand..." Words fell thickly from his numb lips. She beckoned oncemore.

"Take my hand."

Relucantly, he did so. The subsuquent glare nearly blinded him.

_Light._

When next his eyes opened, he stood before a mighty gate of gold and pearl set in a rampart built of cloud. And with him stood a woman of supernatural loveliness, clad in glittering armor and bearing a shield on which was set the head of Medusa. He'd seen her once before, a decade ago. She cannot be mistaken for any other. He hand waved once, and the immense gate swung open before him, revealing stairs ascending into clouds seemingly without end.

"Athena?"

Her flawless face turned towards him with a small serene smile, and the serene majesty of her gaze nearly took his breath away all over again. _"I welcome you back into Olympus, Naruto."_ she said, and her voice was martial music of pipe and drums. He could only stare, struck dumb by the bitter injustice and incomprehensible grace. As he looked on, that smile seemed to deepen, her eyes growing bright and lively as he looked on, brimming with scarcely contained delight. _"Take your rightful place on your father's throne."_

He glanced about, trying not to squint in the light-surely the work of Helios-and tries to find his voice. When it finally emerges, the sound of his own words startle him. "I have no desire to be the God of War."

Athena shook her head slowly.

_"That is what makes you most suited for the throne."_

A beat of silence passed between the two of them. Naruto felt a knot of anxiety clench within his gut. There was much wanted to say. To do. And still, Athena held her silence. He wanted kiss and kill her all at once. Her very prescence infuriated and aroused him, filling his soul with conflict. She shattered it with but a word.

_"I have watched you since that day,"_ she began slowly at first, haltingly, and he knew at once she spoke of their first meeting, _"The gods cannot -I cannot- bear the thought that you should live a mortal life after all you have done." _Her hand rose, daring to touch his._ "Even so, you deserve so much more than this...and I regret that cannot grant you the peace of mind you desire. You have shouldered burdens that would break a lesser man, perhaps even a God, and yet still you fight." _she drew close to him, then closer still._ "You are more than just a mortal. Than a god. I...I honestly don't know what you are. You rage against all that would hold you, destroy those that would control you, and the impossible always seemes to be within your grasp. I admit I..._

_"I?"_

Hazel eyes flitted fretfully down to her hands, still grasping his._ "I admit...some of my motivations for elevating you were...selfish. I worry about you."_ It was the closest thing to a confession he'd get from her. For now.

"You shouldn't."

_"But I do."_ she confessed. _"And how can I not? You are reckless. Dangerous, to your enemies."_

Naruto frowned. "You are not my enemy, Athena."

Relief flashed across her pale face. _"Well, I suppose that's comforting."_

"But you're not my ally, either."

Now, confusion was more prevalent.

_"What am I, then?"_

Naruto smirked, choosing to leave that question unanswered. Let her suffer a little bit. Another second of silence. Slowly, he drew away. Then he started toward the trone.

"Walk with me." It was not a request.

She nodded demurely, the ghost of a startled smile playing across her lips. _"Very well."_

Naruto mounted the long, long stair within slow steps. Now he could see at the top a throne of glistening jet: deadly gleaming black, befitting the state of his heart. The God he is to become. With each step, he felt his wounds fall away; the ache of his broken leg reduced to a dull throb, then less, then not even that. His skin seemed to take on an almost ethereal glow as though lit from within, his already flamingly bright hair trailing behind him in a curtain of fire as he ascended to the throne that was now rightfully his. The Son has surpassed his Father. He has risen. This is his rebirth.

But darkness still plagues him.

He sees them as he walks, the faces of his ghosts, staring at him from the stair. Condemning him. Orkos. Meagaera. Tisiphone. Alecto. Ares. All dead by his hand. Their silence damns him. They watch as he ascends in silence. The voices are still there, but unspoken. Muted. He pushes past them one by one, ignoring the insidious whispers that follow in his head. There is one last phantom waiting for him at the peak, his skin white as ash. Because it _is_ ash. A flowing red tattoo emblazons his skin. He doesn't want to recognize him, but he does.

_Kratos._

Naruto slows at the last, peering up at the Ghost of Sparta . This spectre does not damn him like the rest. He simply stares. There is no voice to accompany his prescence. Each man, marked by Ares in more ways than one, God and Shade, seem to hold their very breath. Guilt twists at Naruto. In a way, he is also responsible for the demise of Kratos. This man died an honorable death, facing his ends without fear. The Son of Ares has always lived with that fear, figthing to survive, to stay alive at all costs. In a way, Kratos is more of a man then he'll ever be. Finally, the silence is broken.

And Kratos steps aside.

Naruto releases a breathe he didn't know he'd been holding and his demons vanished back into the void, returning to the black of his mind. Ever present, yet repressed. For now.

When he reaches the throne, he pauses for a moment and looks back down from whence he came. Spread before him is all of Greece, all the Mediterranean, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the strange lands on the far side of the world. Anywhere that battles rage-anywhere that war will _ever_ be fought-this is his kingdom. His domain. But among it all, his kingdom, the quarter that means the most to him, will be the scenes of battle that tear the world asunder. Wars that break the world down, build it back up, and smash it apart once more. War is his domain. So too, is Olympus.

Naruto, Son of Ares, lowers himself upon his hard-won throne and takes a moment to reflect. His vengeance is finished. Redemption is his. He has become the new God of War; yet the madness remains. Dark designs unfurl behind his brows. But with that darkness is also light. Hope. A tiny spark of blue fire, flickering deep within his chest. The God of War contemplates snuffing out and decided against it. He lets the flame linger. It begins to grow, fanned by that tiny spark. His eyes traced toward Athena at his side. She met his gaze evenly, smiling.

He smiled back. A mortal made a God. This was more than just a rebirth. This was his...

_...Ascension._

**A/N: What happened?! There we go, folks! If you have recently played God of War, Ascension, or beaten it like I have, then you should get the gist of the idea behind this story. That's right. Naruto isn't exactly the hero in this story. But is he the villain? Only time will tell. I found this a rare opportunity to see what made Ares the way he is. Where did he go bad? What made him rebel against Zeus? Was he a madman to begin with, or was there a catalyst that led to this? Of course, the Furies are here as well!**

**The idea of having a son who actually lived up to his expectations was a challenge suggested to me by a fellow author who wishes to remain anonymous -but you know who you are, girl!- and this idea was born. Kratos will still appear in this story, but not in the way it might be expected. Will Naruto step out from the shadow of his father? Will he try to destroy Olympus? Or is there a higher calling in store for him? ****Who knows where this will take us? But in God of War, the story is seldom a happy one, and tragedy is about to befall our beloved blond...**

**So...In the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? No preview this time! Though we will finally see some romance next chapter! And some humor, too!**

**R&R! =D**


	5. Here in the Clouds

**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlemen, I'm alive! I've been better given all the problems I've been going through, but I'm still breathing. Still kicking. I've been on a Mass Effect craze as of late as I'm sure you all noticed; its just my way of coping with life atm. Not only has my stupid heart failed on me again, but I've been suffering through the loss of several family members. Add to that the state of my joblessness and the school bills that keep racking up, and I'm in a bit of a tight spot at the moment. Yet here I am, fighting this damned depression, not giving into despair. To all my readers/reviewers who have encourage me in this time, I say this:**

**Thank you all for you support, and here's hoping I make it through the rough road ahead of me! *Raises glass in a toast* Long live Fanfiction! And in case my health goes south...Love ya'll! Expect an update for my other works to be coming soon! Remember, I own nothing! And prepare for a shocker! And of course, a fair bit of humor!**

**ALSO! My computer is down! BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH! I literally woke up this morning and it wouldn't work-whereas it was just FINE LAST NIGHT!? Anywho, I'm writing this from my stepdad's computer, so updates might be sporadic for a bit! Grrrrr...so angry right now! But hey, this is a nice looooong chapter, and we cover a lot of ground here! Also, I'm not going to tolerate any flames unless they're constructive criticism. So, fair warning! If you've nothing nice to say, please, don't say it.**

**Well...here ya go! =D Enjoy the humor! And we get to see some new characters this chapter! One of which I'm sure you'll recognize...AND FAIR WARNING! An awful lot happens in this chapter! ITS ANOTHER LONG ONE! The God of War bit was a new one, frankly, and I thought it interesting to try something else I haven't seen yet. If you have recently played God of War: Ascension, or beaten it like I have, then you should get the gist of the idea behind this story. That's right. Naruto isn't exactly the hero in this story. But is he the villain? Only time will tell.**

**Anywho...**

**...EPIC CHAPTER AHEAD! Hope ya like it! Again! Play Ascension and all the other games here people! Else you'll be hopelessly confused! On another note I would like to address a few naysayers who have been rankling this story with the accusation that I'm following canon here. I AM NOT. NARUTO IS DIFFERENT THAN KRATOS! In becoming a God, he's trying to push all that bitterness left from Ares behind him and move on. Not give in and capitulate to the whims of the Gods themselves like a weakling. Pandora's box was never opened so no betrayal here, he has no intention of destroying them, unlike Kratos. But is the Ghost of Sparta truly gone...?**

** Hope you enjoy! Also! We see a week timeskip in this...AS WELL AS A SAUCY LEMON! ENJOY!**

_"We will have a celebration worthy of you, my boy...!"_

_~?_

**Here in the Clouds**

A God of Olympus.

Once, I was a man. A demigod, yes, but still very much mortal. Now I am the God of War. A God! I have slain my father; stopped his machinations dead in their tracks and claimed this throne for myself. Now I dwell in Olympus with the rest of the immortal pantheon, under my grandfather, Zeus. How many can claim such a thing? Part of me loathed the very idea of such a thing-becoming the same entity as my father. Yet the longer I gazed upon that ebon throne, the more I dwelled of it, the more I began to realize the truth of what I was being offered.

This was a chance for redemption.

I had nothing left tying me down to the earth but my own madness and insanity. Most of my immediate family was dead, slain by my own hand. I still saw them sometimes, spectres of my past, but that's all they were now. Ghosts. There was nothing they could do to harm me. My memories might persist, but my sins had been forgiven the moment I stepped into the halls of Olympus. Now, I just needed to forgive myself. A daunting task if ever there were one, but then again, I'd done the impossible before.

Granted I still despised the politicking that often went on in the halls of the mount, but I was determined to ignore it for the sake of new beginnings. I still had family of a sorts, here in the clouds. My uncles, Hades and Poseidon. Zeus, my grandather. Hera, my grandmother. And...Athena. I wanted-needed-to start over. To forget about the Wraith of Ares, push my demons from my mind. I was determined to.

_...and I'd be damned if I wasn't going to try._

* * *

><p>"To The Son of Ares!" Zeus raised a flaggon of wine in toast. "To my grandson! Long may he prosper!"<p>

_"HUZZAH!"_

Naruto felt his cheeks color-in a way that had nothing to do with the copius amounts of wine he'd ingested-as his grandfather clapped him on the back. The very motion nearly knocked the God of War from his feet. He managed to right himself at the last however, turning his tumble into a slight stumble instead. Zeus laughed again, bemused by his grandson's bashfulness in the face of such celebration.

"Come now my son, this celebration is in your honor! Speak with your fellows," he urged, nudging him off the dais. "Mingle!"

Naruto tried to take strength from the comforting smile of his grandfather, but it was...difficult. Nearly a week had passed since he'd claimed his father's throne and already, he found himself the center of attention. His upper torso was no longer bare; he'd chosen to wear a semblance of armour for the occasion, forged by Hephaestus himself. Indeed, the dark facets of his ebon chain and mail seemed to shimmer, and swim before his very eyes in the light of Olympus. He couldn't recall the last time he'd been this heavily armoured.

He gazed out at the main dining hall of the great fortress of the gods and tried once more not to feel awe. The ceilings were merely the blue skies above them, while the walls were adorned with white marble and gold. Various tables and comfortable furniture lay scattered across the multilevel room, all being occupied by various gods dressed in white and gold engaged in varying conversation of various importa. It seemed as though every Olympian across Greece had turned out for the ceremony. Mortal servants moved across the crowded hall with food and drink of all sorts, and probably from the furthest reaches of the world.

Sadly, he couldn't see Athena amongst them.

Naruto willed his stiff legs to move and carry him into the crowd, the cold steel of the Blades of Oblivion clinking against his back and the taste of pork lingering on his tongue as he tore another chunk from the massive ham bone he held in his right hand. After living alll his life sacrificing the best animals to the gods, it was somewhat satisfying to finallly know what they tasted like. He knew it was easily the best pig he had ever eaten, but he wasn't about to admit that. As a mortal servant passed with a tray of food and wine, he quickly snatched a large glass and poured it down his throat. The smooth, sweet taste of the grapes was intoxicating. Even the finest mortal wine couldn't rival its taste.

But his bitter mood could not be swayed even by the sweetness of Olympian wine, though not through a lack of trying. As he lowered the glass from his lips, he looked around the room at the gathered immortals with the slightest of smile on his face. Aphrodite conversed with Nike and Nemesis about her latest boy-toy. Naruto steered clear. Apolllo gloated of his most recent achievements to the harvest goddess Demeter. Poseidon spoke at great length with Boreas about ships and various people Naruto had no interest in. Hades, the other person with whom he would've gladly conversed, was conspicuously absent as well.

"There you are, warrior!"

Naruto turned slightly, startled by a hand on his back. He felt nimble fingertips ghost over his shoulder as though they were touching skin, despite the fact that he was still wearing armor. It only took him a moment to recognize the Goddess that had waylaid him. Artemis. He was amazed she was even giving him the time of day. When he'd met her as a mortal, she'd openly disdained him. Now, a decade later, and that scorn was all but gone from those hazel eyes.

"Lady Artemis." he said, inclining his head. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"None of that." she tapped him on the head before he could continue. "You are one of us, now. Address me as Artemis."

The ghost of a smile pulled at his lips. "Very, well, Artemis. Was there something you wanted?"

"I have a gift for you." Her hand waved once, conjuring a swirl of mist between them. "Think of it as a reward, of sorts."

"I've done nothing deserving of-

"You slew your father and the Furies who plotted against us." she replied, molding it in her hands, crafting the insubstantial cloud into shape and form. "You hunted them down, and killed them. At great personal cost to yourself, I might add. That is no mean feat. Zeus may think Godhood a reward righteous enough, but I...believe you deserve more." With these words she drew forth a massive weapon, and placed it into his hands. The weight was virtually nonexistent. He shifted it in his hands, testing the balance. It was like no other weapon he had ever seen, rivaling even the Blades of Oblivion at his back.

It looked like a giant scimitar, crackling with blue light. And now it was his. He stared at the broadsword in disbelief, his eyes cutting back to Artemis as she spoke.

"I give you my blade, that which once slew a Titan. Use it well."

"I...I am honored."

"I'm sure." her lips curled. "Perhaps I might pit my strength against your own, someday. It would be a marvelous...battle." Something in those bewitching orbs told him it would be more than just a battle of blades and fists. His smile grew, just a fraction of an inch. He might have rejected Aphrodite out hand, but Artemis was different. She was a warrior. A huntress. She held herself with fierce, regal poise, and he knew she could just as easily behead him as she would bed him. There was something oddly...arousing about that.

Daring to take her hand in his, he raised her knuckles to his lips and kissed them. Artemis blinked in surprise, but did not refuse him, instead dropping her arm once he'd released her limb.

"I look forward to such an opportunity."

"Farewell, God of War." With a sultry smile she withdrew into the crowded throng, leaving him to wonder at the sudden gift. He pressed it to his back, the weapon vanishing at the touch, left to be summoned back by a bit of will when he required it once more. His eyes wandered slightly, watching her hips sway until she'd retreated beyond his vision-

"Why is it that whenever I leave you alone for _five _minutes, I find you staring at someone?"

He stiffened as a bemused voice resounded behind him.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed for being exposed in his ogling, Naruto spat back a reply.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Hmm."

Athena stifled a small smile as she sidled up behind him. He felt the heat of her breath against his neck, warm and inviting, her forehead pressing against the back of his skull. Her words were soft, like the beating of a hummingbird's wings, yet they set his skin tingling. Her fingers twined with his, dwarfed by his armored hand.

"Come to my chambers." she murmurred. "I have something to show you."

He smiled. "Do you now?"

Her response was to take him by the hand and lead him away from the festivities. Within moments the sounds of celebration faded from their ears.

At first, Naruto had been confounded by the hallways of cloud, the many doors and chambers, each belonging to its own deity. He had his own quarters of course but they were blatantly bare-he'd yet to decided how or even if-he wished to decorate them after the massacre he'd wrought. The memories of what he'd done were still fresh in his mind, and though they no longer haunted him as they once had, they were still present. This task of forgiving himself had proved more difficult than he'd thought. Until he found some semblance of peace, his quarters would remain plain.

_Athena's_ chamber by comparison, was well-adourned. He'd learnt early on that she had a fascination with literature, something he did not share, but respected all the same. Bookcases filled the walls, tomes and scrolls lining her tables, complimenting the pale tapestries littering the room. An owl slumbered quietly on its roost just in the door, waking as its misstress entered. It spared them a wide-eyes glance before returning to sleep and slumber once more. Naruto almost envied the bird its rest.

"So?" he asked as she twirled away from him. "What is it you wanted to show me?"

"I wanted to talk, actually." she said, her eyes unable to meet his. "You are adjusting well, to Olympus?"

He shrugged his broad shoulders. "Well as I can, I suppose. I didn't think there'd be quite so many...celebrations, for me."

"And your visions?"

"Still there." he answered, fighting a grimace. "I'm...managing, I suppose."

There was a silence.

"I take it you called me here for something else."

"Ah...yes.

She colored slightly under his gaze, reaching up to twirl a strand of her now-short hair in hand. Naruto blinked. Ah. His muted laughter obviously affected her, because she straightened slightly under his gaze. Poor girl, for so long he'd looked up to her, and now, they were eye to eye. She was surprisingly...submissive in that regard.

"Need I remind you," she huffed, "That it was you who started this daliance in the first place?"

Her embarassment made his smile and hold a hand to his mouth to restrain his snort.

"Athena...

He stepped forward, embracing her. She yielded almost immediately.

After almost a full minute, they pulled away from one another, her light green eyes looking deeply into his blue. She wore a subtle expression of amusement on her face as he returned her gaze, her grin turning slightly devious as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.

His mind exploded into white as his arms took control, spreading themselves across her back. He was so completely taken aback by her kiss that he hardly noticed when his left hand began to cup her firm ass and his right palm took up residence on her jaw. He deepened the kiss as he pressed his body against hers, pushing her back against the nearest wall. Her hands were just as explorative, her nimble fingertips running along his chest and stomach.

Athena grabbed at his armored lapels and pulled him towards her as she walked backwards into her room. She clawed at the clasps that held the enchanted steel in place, trying frantically to remove them; his own fingers had already expertly loosened up the clasps of her outfit, the white sleeves sliding down around her shoulders and biceps. He pushed her back onto the bed and shot her a look of annoyance as he resigned to disrobing himself. While she was an extremely powerful combatant, Athena was painfully _awkward_ at sex.

Even after being with him twice already, she still couldn't figure out how to quickly remove his armor.

Athena grabbed him by again before he could finish, hands tugging at her clothes as they went. He pulled her gown over her head and pushed her gently onto the bed, admiring the look of her naked torso in the early morning sunlight, her cream-colored skin glinting in the light of Olympus. She was beautiful. Not quite the full-bodied perfection of Aphrodite, nor possessing the lean muscle of Artemis, but, a happy medium; trapped somewhere between the two. His hands moved to the dip of her waist, probbing at her lips beneath with two stiff fingers.

Athena gasped, writhing like an untouched virgin beneath his ministrations. Which in a way, she was, despite his claim on her. Within minutes she was crying his name, gasping as she came under his expert tough. He wasn't finished. Neither was she.

He discarded his own shirt as the last of his armor fell away smirking as her eyes danced over his chest. He leaned down and pulled her under-tunic down, revealing her undergarments. He chuckled softly as he saw it, tongue lapping out licking her juices from his fingers. Sweet. As expected from a Goddess.

"I never get tired of tasting that."

She tugged him back down to her with a needy growl, lips plugging his. Her tongue tangled against his own, lost in the throes of passion, all the world falling away in a pleasured haze.

Naruto wriggled away from the auburn-haired goddess before she could hope to continue, tongue slithering a line down her collarbone to her breasts. His tongue began circling her left nipple before he took it into his mouth, bighting down with his white teeth. He heard Athena inhale sharply above him at the pained pleasures of the snap, elicting a wide smile as he began moved to her right breast to repeat the action. Once more his tongue slipped out of his mouth, this time garnering a small laugh from his intended victim.

"You're wonderful."

"Wondeful? What the _fuck _is—?" his words were cut off as she flipped him over and lowered herself onto him, her hips swaying and grinding against his as she began to moan loudly. He never understood her when she said shit like that. '_I think this looks good, on you.' _He'd long grown sick of the way she did that; not because of the silly way she made her comments, but because he would normally follow her suggestions. She'd told him that his hair would look better long, so he'd started growing it out. She told him to wear armor instead of walking around in a tunic, and he had one on the next day. He never understood why he did what she said, and it pissed him off.

But in equal measure, it also amused him. Because she did the same thing. He'd suggested that she was too uptight, so the Goddess retaliated by playing with his mind endlessly. He'd remarked that he liked short hair, so she'd cut it. She seemed just as eager to please him as he was her.

His mind ceased its wandering as she quickened her pace atop him, placing her hands on his chest so she could make more of an up and down motion. Her moans began growing louder as she bounced above him, this gorgeous, flalwess creature, every motion of her body, every undulation of those bouncing breasts comitted to memoery. He could slowly feel her legs begin to quiver as she moved-the muscles in her body reacting to-and tightening with, the pleasure of her oncoming orgasm.

Before she could come, however, Naruto smirked and flipped her off of him and onto her back. She looked up at his arrogant grin in disappointment as he began thrusting into her. But her displeasure soon melted away as her eyes rolled back into her head. Once more he could feel her impending orgasm, and once more he stopped when she'd reached the threshold.

It was his own delicious way of tormenting her, and after only two rolls in the sack, he was a master of it.

He tortured her like that for nearly a full hour before they finally came togethe- both God and Goddess collapsing in a sweaty, gasping heap. Athena nuzzled into him almost immediately; her head lolling loosely against his chest, arms wrapping around him. Naruto squirmed slightly. He wasn't accustomed to the notion of cuddling, having never laid with a woman before her. Reluctantly, he edged int her, his fingers tracing at her small face, trying as best he could to revel in the feeling of sweet, glorious release. Anything to take his mind off the thought bleeding in his brain.

Because this was more than just lust.

_He was falling in love._

**A/N: What happened?! There we go, folks! If you have recently played God of War, Ascension, or beaten it like I have, then you should get the gist of the idea behind this story. That's right. Naruto isn't exactly the hero in this story. But is he the villain? Only time will tell. I found this a rare opportunity to see what made Ares the way he is. Where did he go bad? What made him rebel against Zeus? Was he a madman to begin with, or was there a catalyst that led to this? Of course, the Furies were here as well!**

**The idea of having a son who actually lived up to his expectations was a challenge suggested to me by a fellow author who wishes to remain anonymous -but you know who you are, girl!- and this idea was born. Kratos will still appear in this story, but not in the way it might be expected. Will Naruto step out from the shadow of his father? Will he try to destroy Olympus? Or is there a higher calling in store for him? ****Who knows where this will take us? But in God of War, the story is seldom a happy one, and tragedy is about to befall our beloved blond...**

**So...In the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview! We leap into the Chains of Olympus next chapter, with come changes..!**

**(Preview)**

_The God of War stared at the shimmering gate, grimacing._

_"Uncle...you're asking a mighty big favor of me."_

_To his credit Hades, proud, arrogant Hades, looked sutiably chastened beneath his helmet. His eyes were heavy beneath the charms of Morpheus, but he still resisted. Just as Naruto resisted. They were far too stubborn the both of them, to fall to such a thing as sleep. Naruto feared it because of the madness that came with his dreams, but Hades; he resisted out of sheer willpower. The strength it must have taken to resist..._

_"Yes, yes, yes, I know I am. But there's no one else I would entrust with this task." a pleading note entered his voice. "Please, nephew. I can entrust no one else with this task. My darling Persephone, she needs to be stopped before she destroys us all, and I cannot bear to confront her."_

_"You're aware that if she's as far gone as you claim, I may have to kill her."_

_Hades battled back a mighty yawn, visibly staggering on his feet. "Please, I beg of you! Don't kill her. Talk to her. Speak with her. She'll listen to you!" Naruto sighed. Hades loved Persephone in his own way, just as he himself loved Athena. It would be remiss of him to refuse his uncle's request in that regard. Hades seemed to genuinely feel guilt for what he'd done. What right did he have to refuse him?_

_...I'll try."_

_"One more thing." Hades called at his back. "Your friend...Kratos...he plays a part in this. I cannot see what exactly...but be on your guard."_

_Naruto turned, regarding his weary uncle one last time. "Impossible. He's dead."_

_"You know as well as I that the dead seldom rest."_

_"If he gets in my way, I'll deal with him."_

_Sighing, he stepped into the Underworld to confront Persephone._

**R&R! =D**


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